A New Life
by justadreamer1980
Summary: Bella has traded one horrible situation for an equally horrible situation. Not sure who she can trust or who she can turn to, she must figure out a way to survive when it seems entirely unlikely that she will at all. Sorry, I suck with summaries
1. Chapter 1

BPV:

I'd only been in Forks for a week, but all I'd seen so far was the scenery I paid no attention to on the ride from the air port when Charlie picked me up. I didn't want to leave the tiny room that Charlie called my bedroom but he insisted I go to school today. At least the majority of my bruises are starting to heal, except of course the ones I received last night for trying to argue with him. I should have realized sooner that Charlie was no better than Phil, but I didn't listen to my mom when I had the chance. 'He's my dad, he wouldn't do that!' I'd yelled at her when she tried to tell me. How I wish I could go back in time and listen to her warnings. There is a major difference between the two men though, Charlie knows where to land a blow where a bruise or welt won't be visible even if I wear a tank top and shorts.

Today I've decided on a long sleeve sweater that is soft and light and doesn't brush against my cuts and bruises too much as well as a pair of jeans and my sneakers.

I make my way down the stairs slowly and carefully. I took a good hit to the head a few years ago from Phil and ever since then I've had balance issues. Today I'm also slow because of the ache in my back courtesy of Charlie last night when I asked if I could wait one more week before starting school.

I look out the window on my way to the kitchen and see his cruiser is already gone, but he's left directions and a note for me;

'I'll be calling the school, you'd better be there today, or else.'

The "or else" scares me the most. It's the open threat that leads to so many different and terrifying possibilities that has me shaking in fear of my own father.

As usual, I'm not hungry so I just grab my keys, rain coat – which appears to be a fashion staple here in Forks – book bag and head out the door. I don't bother with trying to hurry to the truck that Charlie purchased so he wouldn't have to drive me every day and take up more of his precious weekend fishing time, I know the pain will already make it difficult to drive and I don't want to aggravate anything any more than I already would be today.

I climb into the cab and start the truck, the loudness startling me for a moment, then I slowly back out and make my way to Forks High.


	2. Chapter 2

BPV:

As I drive, I can't help but wonder what Charlie has told them about me, about why I'm here. Do they know about my mom? Do they know that before I was shipped to Charlie I was in the ICU back in Arizona for three days and then another week in the hospital to recover? Do they know anything at all? How will I hide my the fact that I can't walk down a hallway without crying out in pain, or that it hurts just to try to walk and talk at the same time? How will I get through an entire day at all?

EPV:

Sometimes being one of the best students in school has it's perks, other times it has it's drawbacks. Toda was a day that would be a drawback. Chief Swan's daughter was starting today and I was assigned to escort her around for the week and make sure she settled in okay, in other words; baby sit. My self control is impeccable, but that doesn't mean the temptation isn't there.

Carlisle warned me that she might be a little sensitive to meeting new people and going to a new school. He'd received her medical records late last night at the hospital and brought them home to look over, three boxes worth of records. If possible, his heart would have skipped a beat, his breath definitely caught, as did mine. The only reasons to have that much medical information on one single person would be if they spent significant time in a hospital.

My siblings had already disappeared into the school so I sit alone listening to a relaxing CD while I wait for an unfamiliar car to pull into the lot. If she didn't want to be late on her first day, she'd better get here soon.

BPV:

The route is pretty much a straight shot from home, but I had to pull over twice when I was in too much pain to drive. Now, as I glance at the clock, I only have five minutes to get there, find the office, get my schedule, find my locker and find my first class. I'm positive I won't make it on time. I push my foot down on the gas and just as I pull into the lot, the bell rings. I feel the fear creeping up into my chest and I can feel the tears leaking out of the corners of my eyes. I find a spot and park and just as I'm about to turn the engine off, pain shoots down my back making me cry out as well as cry because I know Charlie will know I was late on my first day.

I collect myself and my bag and open the door the truck. I slide over a little and put my bag on my seat then open the door and turn around so I'm facing the inside and hold the steering wheel and the seat for support as I lower myself down to the ground being careful not to aggravate my back anymore. As I'm climbing down, I feel my sweater get caught on the seat belt and begin to lift. Before I have a chance to pull it down, the rain hits one of the more tender bruises eliciting a whimper from me. As I begin to think it might be good that I'm late and no one can see, I hear a sharp intake of breath. I begin to panic a little, and forgetting to be mindful of making sharp movements, right myself quickly and pull my shirt back down. I turn around, too quickly, and while I've stopped moving the world keeps spinning in front of me and I start to fall. I try to catch myself on the truck, but something cold grips my arm before I can even try to locate the vehicle. The world stops spinning and the grip on my arm released just as quickly as it was grabbed.

I look up to see the most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on standing a few feet from me and he looks almost angry. 'Great.' I think. 'I've already made him angry and I don't even know his name yet.'

"Running late today?" He asks me, his tone betraying his look. I'm confused now, is he angry or not?

I only nod my head once in reply. I know the rules, Phil had them and so does Charlie, speak as little as possible… or else.

"My name is Edward Cullen." He says. "I'll be escorting you around for your first week and helping you get acclimated and settled."

Again, my only response is to nod.

Edward looks at me a little strangely and says, "Why don't we get out of this rain?" And grabs my bag from my seat in the truck and begins walking toward the building.

I try to keep up, but he walks fast and the pain in my back just won't allow for it. He notices I'm not right beside him and he stops and turns around and makes his way back to me. "I don't mind walking slowly, but I do believe tortises move faster than you are right now." He jokes.

I try to pick up the pace, but it hurts too much and I stop after a few feet and lean against the wall to fight off the tears. Again he realizes I'm not by his side and he comes back.

Edward looks at me quizzically and asks, "Are you alright?" I nod in response and flash a false smile that I'm sure he saw right through and push myself off the wall to start walking again, pushing through the pain. Edward grabs my arm gently and stops me. "How did you get that bruise on your back?" he asks. I panic a little. I can't tell the truth, Charlie will kill me, but at the same time, I'm a horrible liar. I give a noncommittal shrug and start walking again, avoiding looking at his face, and more specifically, his eyes. I think if I look at those eyes, I might be dazzled into telling him my deepest darkest secrets. I hear him sigh and he starts walking even more slowly so I can keep up this time.

A few moments later we stop outside a door and he hands me my book bag and some papers. "This is your first class. I will be waiting right here when class is over to walk you to your next class." He then goes over my schedule with me, and then explains that the other pages are for my teachers to sign and that I'll need to drop them off at the office at the end of the day. "Good luck." He says and opens the door for me.


	3. Chapter 3

I kind of forgot to put the disclaimers in the first two chapters….sorry  
I own no part of Twilight or New Moon, not that I wouldn't love to or anything

Also, it was suggested I explain Bella's history a little, I promise that it will be revealed shortly, if not in this chapter, then definitely in the next one…it's coming, just hang in there!

One last thing…Thanks to every one who's read, reviewed (1 so far, thank you thank you thank you!!) and who've added me to their alert list. This is my first fanfic, and my first time putting ANY of my writing out there for any one to see. Please be patient with me, I don't normally write in chapter format, but I didn't think you'd want to spend a few hours sitting there reading one LONG story in a single chapter.

Now, on with the story!

BPV:

As he opens the door, I nod a thank you and turn to enter the room. I look up and notice all eyes are on me and I'm tempted for a moment to back out of the room and head back to my truck. To my dismay, I could feel Edward still there watching me, so turning around and making my way back out was definitely out of the question. He put his hand on the small of my back to give me a gentle shove into the room, however he made contact with one of the nastier bruises Charlie had left me with and I gasped and stifled a cry. I froze on the spot. I wanted to move forward, away from his hand, yet at the same time, I was afraid that if I did, he would punish me for squirming under his touch like Charlie or Phil would do. I turned my head to look at him and his eyes looked pained, as if he knew he'd hurt me but didn't really mean to. That is not possible, of course, people only hurt you because they mean to. That is something I learned from Phil.

"I'm sorry" he whispered just as the teacher started to come toward the door. "Mr. Cullen, is there something I can assist you with?" He said. "No, sir. However this is Isabella Swan. She fell outside on the pavement on the way in and I was just trying to convince her to see the nurse before going to class." "Oh, well, if you are hurt Ms. Swan, you should definitely have the nurse check you out and then just come back to class."

My eyes widened in fear as I looked between Edward and the teacher. I couldn't go to the nurse, she'd see the bruises and then call Charlie and then Charlie would come and get me and I'd have to explain why I was at the nurse's office and how she came to know about the bruises. "Sir." Edward said after looking at the fear in my eyes. "I will take her after school to see my father if she insists that she is alright. I'm sure it's just a bruise, but if it gets worse I will take her between classes." "Well, if you think you are alright Ms. Swan…" and he put his hand on my shoulder. The next thing I knew, the floor was coming up to greet me.

I could faintly hear the sound of muffled voices around me. I wanted to fall back into the oblivion of sleep. I knew that Charlie had to have been called, that the bruises would have to be explained, that I would be punished. I couldn't hold back the tears that started to fall down the sides of my face, but then I felt the most wonderful thing. One cold finger brushing them away as the most beautiful voice tried to soothe me. "Shhh Bella, it will be okay. I promise. My father is coming to look at you. Everything is going to be fine. Stop crying, please." I opened my eyes slightly and there sat Edward Cullen. I panicked. I was not supposed to be seen crying. I was definitely going to be punished now. I tried to sit up, but Edward gently held me down. "You probably shouldn't move. Even unconscious you were in so much pain. I had to make sure not to jostle you at all on the way in here." In my mind I was screaming. Charlie was going to be very angry. I took a look around the room and realized we were in the nurse's office. She had to have called Charlie and sure enough the moment the thought was in my head, I heard his voice not far from the door.

My eyes got wide when I heard his voice and I had to work very hard to choke back the whimper of fear that was forming in my throat. Edward must have seen the look on my face, in an instant he was in front of me, blocking my view of the door. "Right down that hall, first door on your left Chief Swan." I heard some one say. "It will be okay, Bella." Edward said to me, but I never saw his face, my eyes were glued to the door way. A moment later, there stood Charlie, his face held concern, but his eyes were furious. I felt Edward stiffen slightly in front of me, but he hadn't once turned to look at Charlie, so I had no idea why. "Right down the hall Dr. Cullen, first door on your left. Chief Swan is already there." "Thank you." I heard. All I could think from there on out was how much trouble I was going to be in once I got home.

Behind Charlie now stood a very handsome man. He looked a bit young to be a doctor in my opinion, but what did I know? "Chief Swan." He greeted Charlie. "Doctor Cullen." Charlie replied. "Dad." Edward said. "And you must be Isabella Swan." He said to me and stuck his hand out for me to shake. I immediately looked to Charlie, I didn't know what else to do. "Don't be rude, shake the man's hand" Charlie demanded. I gingerly put my hand out to shake Dr. Cullen's and immediately regretted it as my shoulder began to scream in pain. I winced and saw Dr. Cullen look to Charlie who looked at me with loathing. "Bella," he started. "What did I tell you about that?" It wasn't a question that required an answer, he knew it and so did I. It meant that when we got home, I was going to be punished for showing pain openly. That would be on top of the punishment for him being called down here and for my having to explain my bruises and injuries. I looked down at my hands and realized they were shaking so I sat on them to try to hide it.

"Edward, why don't you take Chief Swan on a tour of the campus while I attend to Ms. Swan?" Dr. Cullen said. "If it's all right with you doc," Charlie said, "I'd rather stay here to, uh, comfort my daughter." "Dad, maybe it would be better if we did this at your office. The room is a bit cramped in here for one thing, and for another, the lighting is better in your office." Edward said. He then gave the doctor a look that seemed as if they were having a silent conversation. I groaned internally. This would not make Charlie happy, if anything, it would make things worse for me. I knew better than to speak up and voice my own opinion though. Charlie was here and the rules would be strictly enforced. "Ms. Swan," the doctor said. "Would this be all right with you?" he asked and looked at me. "I think it would be fine to handle here." Charlie answered for me. "I'm afraid I must insist." Dr. Cullen said. "After seeing her reaction to trying to lift her arm, I would like to get some x-rays taken of her shoulder." "She'll be fine. Just do what you need to do, then I'll take her home for some….uh…rest." Charlie replied. I lowered my gaze to my feet, I was definitely in for it now.

"Chief," Edward said. "Perhaps you missed the large bruises on your daughter's back. I think it would be wise to have them, as well as her shoulder, checked out." I could feel my entire face freeze in fear as I looked between Charlie and Edward, who had turned back to look at me. He had a look of pure determination on his face now, but I could do nothing but look between them in fear and with the knowledge that when I got home, I would not be going to school tomorrow because I would not be able to move from the punishment I was going to receive. I wanted to be able to speak up, to say anything to talk my way out of this, but I knew what would happen if I did. "Bella, close your mouth. You look like a fool." Charlie said with an edge in his voice. I did as I was told and I didn't think I'd make it all the way home before the punishment began, scratch that, I KNOW I won't make it all the way home before it begins.

"Fine, I can see how insistant you two are going to be so fine. Bella, grab your things and meet me in the car." Charlie said as he started to walk away. "And be FAST." He threw over his shoulder. I was frozen to the spot in fear. "Edward, why don't you go and get her things. I would like to have a word with Ms. Swan before we head to the office." And then Edward was gone and I was alone with the doctor. He looked nice enough, but then so did Phil and Charlie when they wanted to. His eyes were different though, Charlie could never mask the hate he had for me in his eyes. "Ms. Swan." He began. He looked as if he was searching for the right words to say. "I have read over your medical file. It was shipped to me from Arizona." He paused again, gageing my reaction, which of course I didn't have because that is against the rules. "Ms. Swan, I know that what you told doctors there can't possibly be true. No one is THAT clumsy. And furthermore, I've seen that look of fear on your face. If you would like, I can give you something to make you sleep and tell your father you passed out so he will have no excuse to make you ride with him." Again he paused, waiting for some kind of reaction from me. "I won't allow him to lay a hand on you while you are…" He stopped as Edward came back with my book bag. "…are in my care." He finished. "Neither will I." Edward said.

I wanted to believe them, but experience has proven that you can't trust people who offer to help. It just gets you into further trouble. I looked up then, into the face of Dr. Cullen. The look of determination in his eyes told me how sincere he was being. He wouldn't allow Charlie to lay a hand on me. "Bella," Edward said, "Bella, I know you are frightened. I've never seen anyone in as much physical pain as you are stay so quiet for so long. How do you do it?" "She knows the rules." Stated Charlie from the doorway. I hadn't seen or heard him come back. "Chief Swan. Perhaps you would like to tell me exactly what those rules are." Asked Dr. Cullen, though it sounded as more of a challenge than a question. "Simple, she makes a sound, she's punished. I can't have my daughter going around crying just because she has a bruise. Do you know how that would make me look as the Chief of Police? Bella, let's go. I'm taking you home NOW." Charlie demanded. And I didn't hesitate to hop down off of the cot, grab my book bag and start to follow him. Dr. Cullen stepped in front of me just as Charlie was reaching for my arm though and challenged him again. "She is NOT going with you." He stated. And to prove his point he gently pushed me back into the room and closed the door behind him while he and Charlie walked outside.

The moment the door closed, I fell to the ground shaking with fear and stifled cries. Edward was there in a flash to try to comfort me. He tried holding me at first, but that just brought out whimpers of pain from me. He then carefully lifted me onto the cot and sat next to me holding my hand trying to soothe me. The holding of my hand felt good, but it did nothing to soothe me. All I could think of was what Charlie was going to do to me when he got me home. "Bella, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go home to your father tonight." Edward stated as if reading my mind. Very quietly, I said, "I don't have a choice." "She does have a voice. I was beginning to wonder. It's quite beautiful you know, you should use it more often." "It's against the rules. You heard Charlie." "I did, but that doesn't make it right. I think Carlisle…" he paused as he saw the quizzical look on my face. "My father, Dr. Cullen" he explained "is going to tell him that you will be spending at least one night in the hospital and then will be coming home with us afterward." The shock and panic on my face must have given my anxieties away because he began trying to soothe me again.

The door opened about ten minutes later, and while I had my shaking under control now, the fear was something else all together. "Edward, I've called Emmett and Jasper and Alice. They'll be here in a moment, just in case." Dr. Cullen said, I have a feeling more for my benefit than anything else. "Bella, if you are ready, we are going to the hospital first to get you checked out, and then you will be staying with my family and me for a while. I don't think Charlie will try anything, but, for your sake, I don't want to take any chances." I didn't know what to do. I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again. "Bella, you don't have to worry about those 'rules' around us. We don't have any like that. In our home we welcome others' opinions. We would like to hear what you have to say." Edward said. I didn't know what to say, so I kept quiet. Just then, a light knock on the door made me jump and then wince in pain. I was terrified to see the door opening and a large person there in the door way. I immediately backed up to the wall in the corner and couldn't stifle the whimper that escaped me when my back hit the wall. I began to slide down, unable to support my own weight with the pain and in an instant both Edward and his father were there supporting me. "We really need to get you to the hospital," Dr. Cullen said. "I've got the car waiting out front dad," the person in the door said. "I'll ride with her in the back," I heard a female voice say. "Edward, you and Emmett follow behind in your car." Dr. Cullen instructed and then, with the help of Edward and Dr. Cullen, we slowly made our way out the doors of the school and to the waiting car. All the way there, I was looking around for Charlie, knowing that at any moment, he could come and drag me away from here. He never came though and I was beyond thankful. "He'll be leaving you alone for a while," the girl said. I turned my head to look at her and was greeted with a large smile on her beautiful face. She was pixie like and had short spiky black hair. "My name is Alice." She said as she extended her hand toward me. "Alice," Edward said from beside the car. "She can't, her shoulder is pretty bad." She looked back to me and frowned slightly and settled for patting my hand lightly instead. With a few more instructions from Dr. Cullen to Edward and the large person standing beside him, we were off to the hospital and the unknown.

I haven't decided yet, but I may keep this in Bella's point of view for the rest of the story. If you think I should keep going back and forth between Edward and Bella, let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

Still don't own it…wish I did though, wonder who I could speak to about that….hrmmmmmm

The whole way to the hospital, Alice lightly held my hand. I'm sure she was just trying to reassure me, but it was such a friendly gesture, I couldn't help but wonder at times. To my great relief, exhaustion overtook me not long after we pulled away from the school and I passed out in the back of the car. To my horror, however, when I woke up, I heard a familiar beeping noise and felt tubes and wires attached to my body.

The first one I felt was blowing air obnoxiously up my nose. I reached up to remove it, only to have my hand restrained by my side. "I wouldn't do that just yet." A familiar voice said. Through my haze, I was unable to recognize it though. I tried to turn my head, but the slightest movement sent a jolt of pain through my neck and shoulder. I winced and whimpered from it. "I'll be right back" the voice said. I heard a door open and close and moments later it opened and closed again.

"Isabella, I am sure you are confused right now. I'm going to look you over and explain what's going on, okay?" Another familiar but unrecognizable voice said to me. I tried to nod my head, but was greeted with another jolt of pain and winced again and whimpered. "Try not to move around too much. I'm sure it's difficult, but you do need to stay as still as you can for the time being. You passed out in the car on the way to the hospital. We had to get a gurney to the car to take you in. I thought for sure the movement would wake you, but when it didn't, I became worried. It seems you had gone into shock and your heart rate was extremely high. We gave you something to calm your heart down and then took you to get a full body x-ray. It seems you have some broken ribs, some that are cracked, your shoulder was dislocated and your arm broken. You have ruptured tendons on almost every muscled, multiple severe contusions all over your body and you have slipped several disks in your back and neck, which is why it hurts so much to try to turn your head at all. I'm going to keep you here in the hospital over night to be safe and then tomorrow I am going to release you to my care at home."

At the words "at home" I immediately thought of Charlie and could not control the shaking that resulted from the dread that coursed through me. Charlie would not stand for this. He would not allow this to happen. I would be punished severely for letting every one in on his secret. I could feel my breathing pick up and immediately my back and sides began to stab with pain. The beeping on the machine was quite rapid now as well. I could hear it and feel it, but the haze that had settled over my eyes when I woke up made it impossible to see anything. 

"Isabella, I must insist that you calm down. This is not good for you." I knew he was right, but even with the aid of the tube blowing oxygen into my nose, I could not get anything under control. All I could think about was Charlie and what he'd do to me when he got me home and alone.

"I don't think she's going to be able to calm herself down. Edward, go get the nurse, tell her what's going on in here, she'll know what to bring." I heard the door open and close immediately. "Isabella, please. You must try. I know it's difficult, but you have to try to get yourself under control. What is it that has upset you so much?" He asked. I opened my mouth to answer, but closed it again before I could let the words slip out. I was already in enough trouble. "Please Isabella. You have nothing to fear from answering my question, or speaking whenever you would like for that matter. There are no 'rules' against that here, nor will there ever be." He tried to soothe me. I wanted to believe him, I truly did. I shut my eyes tight against the pain and tried to calm my breathing down, but it wasn't working. I opened my eyes and the haze cleared slightly. I could see the person that had been talking to me leaning over me closely. "Isabella, please, what has upset you?" This time when I opened my mouth, I answered. "Charlie" was all I was able to get out. My voice was small and scratchy sounding after going so long with out use. "He can't hurt you anymore Isabella. I promise. Not while you are in my care." He said. Then a look of understanding came over his face. "When I said 'my care at home' I meant my home, not Charlie's. I will not allow for you to go back to that." He stood up straight and turned toward the door as it opened with a bang. To my absolute horror, Charlie was standing there. "You," he sneered, "do not get a choice in the matter, doctor," he said. "I am her father and she will be going home with me and she's leaving now." Charlie yelled. I broke out in a cold sweat right there. My breathing was now so erratic that I could not get a breath in, let alone try to get my already out of control breathing under control. The heart monitor now was going so fast that it was like one long beep instead of the quick individual ones that were heard earlier and that caused Dr. Cullen to be alarmed in the first place. I could feel my body start to tingle and I got light headed. I heard the door open again and could hear Charlie being dragged from the room and Dr. Cullen yelling for Emmett and Jasper to restrain him and to get him out of here. He called Edward and the nurse to get in quickly, but before I could hear or see anything else blackness closed in over my eyes and all I could hear was the faint, distant calling of my name.

When I awoke again, I was in a different room. It was much darker and the bed wasn't as hard and I was surrounded by pillows as if I was a baby taking a nap on a bed and some one was afraid I would roll over while unattended. I tried to sit up but it hurt too much. My whole body hurt, though it was a dull pain. I gave up after a moment and whimpered slightly when I moved my head. I heard a door open quietly and click back closed. I could hear the beeping on a heart monitor near by start to pick up when I began to panic slightly. What if Charlie had been able to get away from whomever Emmett and Jasper were and got me like he said he would? What if that was him coming into the room now? I was already in so much pain, would he really punish me now or would he wait until later? "It's okay Isabella. You are safe now, just like I promised." I heard. I wanted desperately to see who was talking to me, and almost as if reading my very thoughts, Dr. Cullen appeared next to me on the bed, sitting gently so as not to disturb me. "You had begun to hyperventilate before your visitor interrupted our talk, do you remember that?" He asked me. I tried to nod my head, but was greeted with a sharp pain in my neck. That, I had forgotten about. I winced and cried out as quietly as I could but it was still a little loud. I shut my eyes tight, waiting for him to punish me or at the very least yell at me, but neither ever came. "Isabella," he said softly. "You will never have to worry about that here. If you are in pain, it is alright to cry out and let us know. We will do what we can to help you. You need never fear punishment from any one here. You are a part of this family now and you are safe here with us. Charlie will not be able to find you here." I opened my mouth to ask a question, but closed it again, unsure of how to ask. "Please," he said. "Don't be afraid to speak here. I can answer any questions you may have, or concerns, I'm sure you have more than a few of both." He said and chuckled lightly. I opened my mouth again, and my voice was little more than a whisper, "Why?" Was all I asked. "Why what?" he responded. I was thinking of a way to explain my question with as few words as possible when he spoke again. "I know this must be difficult for you. I wish that you could just trust us openly, but all that you've been through, that is near impossible right now. Given time, though, you will see that you have nothing to fear from us, Isabella." He said. "Bella." I corrected him. "I'm sorry, Bella. It's a beautiful name. Why do you prefer Bella to Isabella?" I cleared my throat a little to help with the scratchy sound and Dr. Cullen seemed to realize something else. "How long has it been since you've actually spoken, Bella?" he asked. I realized it had been a long time, but I wasn't sure I could put a number to it, so I said the only thing I could think of at the time, "a while." His eyes widened with something close to shock and possibly anger as well, but it flashed across his eyes so quickly I couldn't be sure. "Bella, is that the rule you had been so worried about?" he asked. "One of them. And Isabella is what both Charlie and Phil call me. It's how I know I'm in trouble." I whispered. "Let me get you some…" before he could finish, Alice quietly opened the door with a pitcher of water and a glass that she brought to Carlisle. "I thought this might be helpful." She said as she poured some water into the glass. Carlisle helped me to sit up and Alice propped some pillows behind me to prevent me from falling backward. Then she helped me to sip the water so it didn't end up all over the front of me. "Better?" she asked. "Yes, thank you." I said meekly. "Perhaps now would be a good time for Bella to be introduced to the rest of the family." Alice suggested and not two seconds later there was a soft knock on the door. Carlisle opened it and quietly said something to whomever was on the other side, then opened the door to let in five more people, one of whom I recognized as Edward. "This," said Carlisle gesturing to the people who had just come in, "is the rest of the family." I glanced quickly over the seven people standing around me and noticed two large young men in the group. Out of habit and slight apprehension, I began to shake and the heart monitor picked up the fear I felt and let every one hear it as well. My eyes would go no further than those two people and I'm sure my eyes were as wide as saucers. "Bella, these are my sons, Jasper," who nodded to me in hello, "and Emmett, whom you may remember from school." Carlisle said as Emmett also nodded to me. "They were quite helpful at the hospital in keeping Char..., Bella?" At the hint of the mention of Charlie, my breathing hitched and I felt light headed again. "Bella, he won't get past us, we swear." Emmett said. He seemed so confident and then, for no reason that I could explain, I felt myself calm down considerably. I thought I saw Dr. Cullen mouth a thank you to Jasper, but I couldn't be sure and shrugged it off. "Should I continue with introductions, or have you had too much for one day?" Dr. Cullen asked me. "Sorry, please continue." I said shyly.

"I'm sure you remember Edward, and this, you may remember, is Alice. You met her only briefly along with Emmett just as we were leaving your school." "I remember." I said. Edward gave me a slight smile and when I looked at Alice, I wasn't sure a face could or should hold that large of a smile. I attempted a smile in return, but I wasn't sure it was anything more than a grimace. I couldn't remember the last time I'd smiled, so I'm sure I was out of practice. "This," continued Dr. Cullen, "is Rosalie" who did not seem to care that I was there and therefore did nothing in response to her name being said, though I did see Edward give her a glare before turning back to me. "And this," he said while going to stand next the only person left in the room, "is my wife, Esme." "Hello dear." She said to me. "If there is anything you need, anything at all, please let me know." And she smiled warmly at me. "And by the way," said Dr. Cullen, "I am only referred to as Dr. Cullen, when on duty. At home, I'm just Carlisle. We have a unique environment here. All of my children are adopted," Carlisle started. "Also, Emmett and Rosalie are married, as are Jasper and Alice." Every one chuckled at my look of surprise. "I know it seems odd, but as time goes on, you will see and understand the love they all have for each other." He said. "For the moment, however, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?" I wasn't sure where or how to begin. As I looked around the room, I could see that this was how a family was supposed to be when around each other, not trying to stay out of the way for fear of angering any one. I was pulled from my musing when Edward asked, "Where did you grow up?" "Phoenix." I replied. Rosalie asked the next question, but the tone told me there was an underlying meaning to it, "Why are you here?" I noticed both Edward and Alice cast her an angry glare. "Because my mom was ki…" I couldn't bring myself to finish the word. "Oh, my." Esme said. I looked down and at the same time caught Rosalie's face take on a less hard edge. "Her husband went too far one night and I found her, and then I found her and spoke when I shouldn't have and he was really mad and when the police came, they found us in another room of the house, I'm not sure how they knew to come. Anyway, they found us and I just remember hearing one of them yell that I was still alive. I spent three days in an ICU in Phoenix and then another week I spent in another part of the hospital. I'm pretty sure they didn't want to release me, but Char….my dad came and got me and brought me back here. He let me take a week to get used to his house and his rules and then I went back to school, and I suppose you know the rest." I hadn't looked at any one while I told my sad story. I kept my eyes focused on the pattern on the quilt that covered me. I didn't dare look up after speaking. It was the most I'd ever said at one time probably since birth. I was afraid to see the reactions, and, even thought they'd told me the rules I'd been so used to for so long did not apply in this house, I was still afraid that I might be punished for speaking.

I was quite surprised when I found myself being enveloped in a hug. I looked up to see Esme's arms encircling me, being very careful not to touch one of my bruises or other injuries. When she looked into my face I could see anger there in her eyes. I winced slightly and she pulled away. "Oh, dear, I'm not angry with you, I don't think I could ever be. I'm angry at the people who made you go through all of that. And your poor mother." She trailed off. Esme looked as if she would be crying for some reason. I had no idea what to think of that. Why would she be upset for me? Had she known my mother? "Bella? What is it?" Carlisle asked seeing the quizzical look on my face. "I…it's just…why are you upset? Did I say something to upset you? I'm not sure I understand." I answered as best I could. I heard a few intakes of breath from the others in the room. "I'm sorry." I said, looking down again. "I shouldn't have spoken." And I winced while I waited for some one to yell at me or punish me. "Bella." Some one spoke softly. "Bella, we're not upset with you. It's a good thing for us to know your history so we don't accidentally do something that you will misinterpret. What Esme, as well as the rest of us are upset about, is that you've been trained to not understand when some one is showing you compassion. You have no idea that some one could care about what happens to you at all, do you?" I looked up to see Jasper ask. "I, I don't know. I, I just…"I got tongue tied and didn't know what else to say. "It's okay," Esme said. "We'll show you what a family is supposed to be like. What it means to love and to care for one another." She said to me and gave me another hug.

"Bella," Carlisle started, "I understand your father is from Forks, and never left." "Yes" I tentatively answered. "May I ask, why did your mother leave him?" "She told me that my father wasn't a very good man, that he had done things to her and that's why she left him and took me with her. But I didn't believe her. I thought that anything would be better than Phil, but it turns out that he was just as bad, or worse. I guess that's the role of a dad though, or at least, that's what he told me." I answered. "Bella," Alice stated from beside Jasper. "A father is never supposed to hurt his child, ever. He's supposed to protect and nurture." She said. I had no idea how to respond to this. I'm sure my face gave away my uncertainty on the subject. "You will learn, Bella." Carlisle said, more gently than I'd ever heard that said before, but I only ever heard that when I was breaking a rule. I looked back down to the quilt and as if reading my thoughts, Edward said to me, "It's true, you'll learn that a family is there for each other, Bella. I don't think I've ever seen Carlisle raise his hand to any one, and especially not his kids. In time, you'll learn to trust us. You'll see." He said encouragingly.

"Now, Bella, there is one more thing we need to discuss with you before I let you rest for the night." Carlisle said matter of factly. "We are a little different than most people. Perhaps you may have noticed some things on your own?" "Carlisle, I don't think she's really had time to notice much of anything." Edward said on my behalf. "Okay then, Bella, this family has been together for a long time. By this I mean that we've been together longer than most families have been together," Carlisle said. "Okay," I said slowly, hesitantly, trying to grasp at what he was trying to get me to understand. "Bella," he started again, as he took my hand. I gasped at how cold his hand was. "We're all that cold Bella." Carlisle said. I looked around at every one and they all nodded in agreement. I noticed they all had dark purple bruises under their eyes as well, all of them, as if they'd all been in a fight and their noises had been broken. They all looked to be extremely pale, as if hey hadn't been out in the sun in years all of them were beautiful, any one of them could have been a model, I was sure of it, Rosalie most of all. Alice noticed me looking at them, studying what I was seeing. "Yes, Bella," she said. "We all are like that." "I, I don't think I'm getting it," I said. "Bella," Carlisle said. "We are not human," he said carefully. "What? I mean, are you trying to play a trick on me?" I asked. "No, Bella," Alice said, "it's the truth. We are a family, it's true, but we are a family of vampires, or cold ones as the Quiotes refer to us." She explained. That was the last thing I remember as I passed out.


	5. Chapter 5

Nope, still don't own it. Also, sorry for keeping it in Bella's p.o.v. for so long, I'm going back to switching between her and Edward as of now. Also, I had a couple people say it was a bit difficult to read the dialog when it was all in one paragraph. I'll split it up from now on to make it a bit easier.

EPV

As soon as the words "not human" left Carlisle's mouth, Bella's breathing changed. Then Alice tried to explain and as soon as she said "vampires", Bella's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell limply to the side. Even unconscious as she was, she was still in extreme pain. Just the slight movement caused her to cringe and a soft whimper of pain escaped past her lips.

I heard Carlisle swear under his breathe as he went to Bella's side. I also heard the thoughts of the rest of the family as they contemplated what all Bella had told us of her past. I was sure there was more that she had not told us, but as she comes to trust us, she'll open up more.

_How could any one do this to a child?_ Esme thought. I knew the memory of losing her own child burned fresh in her memory at the sight of Bella before us.

"_She's a human and she's weak. Yet, I can't believe that I find myself feeling pity and sadness for her. How could any one treat their own family in such a way?_ Rosalie was thinking. I was actually quite surprised because her previous thoughts were nothing but malice and contempt for Bella.

_I already feel like I have a little sister. Let him try to get near her again. I'll rip his head clear from his body if he so much as looks in her direction again._ Emmett thought. Then he looked at me then and I nodded to him to let him know I agreed with him whole heartedly, except on the little sister part. I was feeling something more than a brotherly connection to her, but I would not act on it. She had to be able to trust us first.

_The pain and fear coming from her…I can barely stand it. She puts on a good front though. I was almost fooled until I started to examine her emotions a little more closely. No matter how many times she was told she was safe, she didn't feel it once. One look at Emmett and I and I though for sure she was going to try to bolt from the room. The only thing that kept her there though was probably the physical pain and the fear. It took everything I had just to get her to calm back down._ Jasper was thinking. I had noticed her breathing pick up slightly, though I didn't notice that it was when she was looking at Jasper and Emmett. I had thought it was because of all of the people in the room, all focusing on her.

_No, no, no…That has to be wrong. I don't see how, not with Emmett and Jasper and Edward, but it's not, it's going to happen. How, where are we going to mess up? I just, I don't understand!_ Alice's thoughts were in turmoil.

"Alice," I called to her. Her eyes still slightly glazed over. "Alice," I said again as she looked up to meet my gaze. "What did you see?"

"I'm not sure how, or where or even when, but some how, we're going to mess up. She's going to get hurt Edward. I just, I don't understand. He's going to get to her." Alice replied shakily. Jasper moved to comfort her.

"Alice," Emmett spoke up. "Don't worry, we're not going to let her out of our sight. Chief Swan has no idea what he's just stepped into."

"It's not Chief Swan though. I can see him involved, but it's not him. It's some one else. A man not from here. I saw Bella walking alone, and then she sees him and is paralyzed by fear. He hurts her before any of us can get to her." Alice explained.

"That settles it then." Carlisle said from beside Bella. "At no time is she to be alone. One or more of you are to be with her at all times. Esme, she's going to need assistance with bathing, and some one will have to get food. We'll need to get into her father's house and get her possessions and clothes. I'll write a note to the school explaining the situation and putting her on medical leave until she's at least able to move around on her own."

"Carlisle?" Rosalie asked. "What's that noise? Is that actually coming from Bella?"

We all turned to look back at her and sure enough, Bella's breathing was heavy and labored and definitely strained. Carlisle swore under his breathe again. "I think," he said slowly, "she's having a nightmare. Her system can't take this, not on top of every thing else."

He was talking to himself, while explaining to the rest of us. Then, as if on cue, the heart monitor sped up letting every one in the room know of Bella's obvious anxiety. She tried moving around, and cried out in pain, but it did nothing to wake her, if anything, it seemed to make whatever she was dreaming about worse. Then she bolted upright and screamed "Mom" and started crying uncontrollably. We all knew in that instant exactly what she'd been dreaming about.

Carlisle held her as she cried trying to calm her down. Jasper was sending waves of calm through the room and Esme was trying to soothe her. Not a single thing seemed to help.

"Edward." Carlisle called to me. "Switch with me. I have to go get something to calm her." I nodded and went to sit in his place. As I held her, I wanted nothing more than to be the one to comfort her. I looked to see how Jasper was holding up, and he nodded to me.

_She's more focused on her physical pain right now than the dream, Edward. I can't do anything about that. Try to get her to lay back down or something._ He communicated with me.

"Bella," I said. She was crying now, and moaning slightly from the pain. "Bella. I'm going to lay you back now. We're going to go slow, okay?"

She attempted to take a breathe to steady herself, instead it caused her more pain and she crumpled in on herself and passed out. I slowly and gently laid her back onto the pillows as Carlisle re-entered the room. Her heart beat was still much too quick and her breathing still erratic. Carlisle went to her IV and injected a yellowish liquid that took effect almost instantly once it reached her blood stream.

"She won't dream with that in her system. She'll be out for at least a day. Alice, why don't you get her something more comfortable to wear?" Carlisle requested. Alice happily obliged and danced out of the room.

I watched Jasper leave after his wife and Rosalie volunteered to help pick things out. I believe Carlisle meant something already in the house, however, leave it to Alice and Rosalie to find an excuse to go shopping. I turned back to Bella as Carlisle went to check some of the machines and noticed that she looked to be gagging.

"Carlisle." I said worriedly. He turned around and looked horror stricken

"Quickly," he said, "turn her onto her side!" He ran to the bathroom and came back holding a waste basket. Bella had already vomited once and she wasn't stopping.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"She's reacting to what I gave her. Either her body is too weak to handle it or she's allergic, I have no idea which." Carlisle answered while holding her hair back.

Finally, after thirty minutes, Bella drew a ragged breath in and was still. Her skin was warmer than it should have been and she'd broken out in a sweat.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked.

"If her temperature doesn't come back down in the next hour, I'll start to worry, but for now, I believe she's out of danger. I think her body may have just been too weak to handle what I gave her." Carlisle said and went back to checking on the read outs from the machines.

I turned my head back to watch Bella as she slept. Her breathing seemed to even out by this time, but was still slightly ragged, as if it hurt to pull the air down her throat, which, after what had just happened, it probably did.

"Carlisle?" I asked.

"Hmmm?" He replied while still looking over some read outs.

"Will she still sleep dreamlessly, or after all of that, is it out of her system?"

"It's probably all out of her system. Some one will have to keep watch over her while she sleeps. She's probably too weak to move around, but I don't want to take any chances."

"I'll stay." I volunteered. I felt oddly compelled to protect Bella and my feelings for her seemed to be growing by the minute. I just couldn't explain it to myself. As I watched Bella sleep, Alice came back into the room.

"Here." She said handing me a cool face cloth. She also put a small basin down on the table next to the bed. "How is she doing?"

"Carlisle said that if her temperature doesn't go back down within the hour, he'll start to worry, but I think it's already starting to go back down, the flush is fading slightly from her cheeks." I told her while gently dabbing the cloth on Bella's forehead.

"It'll come back down, don't worry about that. I just…." Alice trailed off.

"You just what, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"I don't understand how it's going to happen. How she's going to be alone. Even after the decision was made, Carlisle, it's still going to happen." Alice said.

"How badly is she going to be hurt?" I asked her.

"I can't be sure. I can tell that her arm will be broken, and possibly her leg. But what I can't see, what I can't decipher from the vision is how much of her injuries are physical and how much is mental. Who ever this person is, she knows him. She's been hurt by him before. Badly. Edward, she'll be too terrified to even scream when he comes for her." Alice explained.

"This happens outside, correct Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes. I can't tell where though. I can't tell if it's a yard, or a clearing, or where it is. There are trees all around the direction she's looking, and flowers lining the border. There's a bench…Oh, oh no!" She broke off.

I held her shoulders tightly to comfort her the way Jasper does. I spoke quietly, as comfortingly as I could in my agitated state. "Alice, where does this happen?" I asked her, she had obviously figured it out.

"In our own back yard. Edward, he hurts her HERE at our HOME! The one place we told her she'd be safe." Alice cried.

Jasper came in the room then and took Alice into his arms. I silently told him all that had happened and he quietly guided her back out.

"Carlisle, she said no matter what we do, at some point this is going to happen. We told her the one place she could feel safe is here. What do we do?" I asked, a slight edge of panic to my voice.

As he came around to the side of the bed to check Bella over, he quietly answered, "We do what we can. We help her to get well, help her to feel safe and loved and we tell her it's going to happen so she can prepare herself some how. Even the best of intentions, Edward, are flawed. A person cannot be watched every single second of every single day. At some point, every one will miss something, even those of us who seem the least likely to miss anything." He put a comforting hand on my shoulder, took one last look at Bella, told me to call for him if anything happens or changes or when she wakes up and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Nope, still don't own it. And thanks for all the great reviews! I blush probably worse than Bella herself every time I get one. It's really encouraging, and keeps me in the mood to write. Basically, you keep reviewing, I'll keep writing!

EPV

Carlisle had been correct; Bella had gotten all of what he had given her out of her system. She was dreaming now, and from what I could gather of her facial expressions, they were not pleasant dreams. I contemplated attempting to wake her up, but decided against it reasoning that she needed as much rest as she could get. I did the next best thing I could think of at the time, I held her hand, stroked her hair, wiped the sweat from her brow, and whispered as many words of comfort as I could think of. It seemed to work, she was getting gradually calmer. Eventually, she seemed to be sleeping somewhat peacefully.

Her fever thankfully broke, at almost the exact moment Carlisle said it would be time to worry. Once the fever started to go down, her heart calmed and her breathing became steadier, still slightly ragged because of her throat, however.

Carlisle came back to check on Bella then. He breathed a thankful sigh when he realized her fever had broken. Then he checked over her monitors and read outs again. He turned to me and said, "She should be coming around soon. Call me when she…." Carlisle never got a chance to finish the statement. At that moment, Bella's heart monitor began beeping rapidly.

I looked down to her face and realized she was having a horrible nightmare. She opened her mouth and began to scream. It came out hoarse and raspy. I did all I could to comfort her. Carlisle looked up at me and said, "Unfortunately, there's not much you can do, Edward. She's too weak to move around, so I'm not worried about her hurting herself, what I am worried about is her mental state. After all she's been through, and the nightmares. Her physical injuries I can heal, her mind is something I hardly have any experience in helping, let alone healing."

I'd never heard Carlisle utter a single word of doubt in his abilities and hearing his doubt caused me worry beyond reason. "Carlisle," I started. He barely seemed to hear me. "Carlisle." I said again. This time he looked up to me. "We are all here to help her heal. She'll need time and love and attention, there's no doubt about it, but eventually, she'll begin to heal, her body AND her mind. We won't let her be alone to go through everything. She'll have us to talk to, to help her." I wasn't finished, but Bella had abruptly stopped screaming.

I looked down to see her closing her mouth and breathing heavily. She was so weak, yet she was trying to open her eyes, to sit up. I gently placed my hand on her good arm to still her. She jerked it away sharply, and while it hurt me somewhat to have her do that, it was completely understandable.

"Bella, shhhh. It's okay. It's just Carlisle and me. You're okay. It was just a dream." I tried to soothe her. She was struggling to open her eyes, and when she was finally able to get them open all the way, they were filled with tears.

"Bella," Carlisle said to her softly. "That must have been some dream. Would you like to talk about it?" He asked her.

All shadows of doubt seemed erased from Carlisle's mind and face. Bella had become like a daughter to him in the short time he'd known her, and he would do everything in his abilities to help her. This was his own way of letting Bella know this.

I looked back to Bella to gage her reaction to Carlisle's question. There was a look of absolute panic as well as uncertainty. How could she possibly find a way to trust us? After all that had happened to her and all she had been through, would she ever be able to trust any one again?

"Bella," I said soothingly. "You know you can trust us, don't you?"

She looked at me uncertainly. Her eyes still held fear though, she did look as if she were contemplating telling us.

"I" she started. Her voice was still hoarse, "I dreamt that" she seemed to be having difficulty finding the words. "I dreamt that I was sent back to live with Charlie, and Phil was there and my mom was still alive and they…they…" She couldn't finish. I could tell it was taking everything in her not to break down now.

"Bella," I said. "We won't be sending you back." I tried to soothe her.

"You don't get it." She argued. I exchanged a look with Carlisle. We had yet to see her contradict any one. "Charlie is the chief of police. He's the law. He can make people do whatever he wants. If he decides he wants me, you won't get a say in the matter. He'll bring in the FBI if that's what it takes." She explained. She then turned her head away from us and tried to cry silently, but it was no good. We heard her clearly.

Carlisle walked around to the other side of the bed so Bella was looking directly at him. "Bella, neither Charlie nor the FBI will be able to make us do anything we don't want to do." He stopped and was being careful with his next choice of words. "What is the last thing you remember?" He asked.

"You said you and your family are…vampires" she whispered.

"Correct. And with that, comes abilities that the normal human populace isn't privy to. You will get to learn all about us and our secrets living with us, however. On the down side, you are also subject to all of the negatives that come with living with a houseful of vampires. For instance, we have to move every few years because we do not age. We can only stay in one place for so long before suspicions begin to arise." Carlisle explained.

"What about…blood?" Bella asked. "And sunlight and stakes to the heart and all of that?" She inquired.

I chuckled quietly. "Bella," I said. "We do not burn in the sunlight, a stake would probably break before it could do any damage to us, and just about everything else you've heard of is pure Hollywood fantasy. As for blood, yes, we do drink it, but not from humans. At least, this family does not drink from humans, and we are a rare breed for that. We hunt animals instead."

"Oh." She said. 'Oh'! That's it?? It'd just told her that we drink blood, granted not from humans, but still, 'Oh'?!

"Oh? You don't seem repulsed or shocked even." Carlisle replied. Apparently his thoughts seemed to be echoing my own.

"I'm a little surprised you don't drink from humans, but I think that's mostly because of the movies I've seen or books I've read. For some reason, I feel I can trust you and none of you will intentionally hurt me. I guess the only thing I want to know is, why do you want to help me?" She responded.

"Bella," Carlisle started, "For one thing, I can not stand to see people suffer, and you have been suffering for far too long in silence. I won't have it anymore. For another thing, although I have only known you for a short time, I feel as though you belong with this family. We want to help you learn to trust, even if it never extends beyond this home. You will learn, in time, Bella, that not every one wants to hurt you. That some people are even able to love you. Besides," he joked, "I don't think Alice wants to give up her new friend."

"Friend?" Bella asked.

"You do know what a friend is, don't you?" I asked her, slightly surprised.

"In theory, yes. I've just never had one before." She answered. It was so simple and she said it with such sincerity, I almost fell out of my seat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." She said to me.

"Upset me?" I said incredulously. "Bella, do you ever put yourself first? I mean, here you are telling us you've never had a single friend in your entire life, and you are worried about ME being upset? You really are a selfless person, aren't you?"

"I…I didn't….I just…." She started.

"I apologize, Bella. I didn't mean to speak so harshly. I didn't mean for my words to sound the way they did. For you to be so selfless is a noble thing, but, on occasion, you do need to put yourself before others. For instance, right now you need to think about your own feelings, not mine. We are more concerned with you and helping you get better, and that's what you need to be concentrating on too." I said to her.

"I just, I don't want to be a burden to anyone. Plus," she said, but stopped.

"Plus what Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"I… I don't…I've never…"

"You've never been able to put yourself first, have you?" Carlisle asked.

Bella shook her head no and I wanted to let lose the growl that had been steadily building in my chest. This wasn't right. How could any one have suppressed another person so completely that she'd never even considered the idea of thinking about her own feelings?

"Bella, I have to know so I know how to help you." Carlisle started. He was very carefully choosing how to phrase his question, as I knew Bella's answer would be extremely important. "Do you know the difference between say, sadness and happiness, or anger and joy?"

For a moment, I didn't think Bella would answer. "I'm not sure. They all seem to be the same for both Phil and Charlie." She answered.

"That's enough for now, I think." Carlisle said. "Esme and Alice will be in shortly to help you get cleaned up and change into something more comfortable, as well as change the sheets. And Edward will be up later with some food for you." He looked at me then. "_Edward, this is going to be extremely difficult. She doesn't even know that when a person smiles, it indicates that they are happy. I can feel her edginess. It's as if she's waiting for the moment that we'll turn completely and just start hitting her. I'm sure given time, she'll be alright, but until then, we ALL have to be as careful around her as possible."_

I nodded in acknowledgment. I had been thinking the exact same thing. At that moment the door opened and in danced Alice with shopping bags. Somehow I knew she'd go shopping.

"Hello Bella." Alice greeted. "That can't possibly be the most comfortable thing in the world to wear. What do you say we get you into something a bit nicer," she eyed the mess on the front of Bella's gown and said, "and cleaner too?" And with that, shooed both Carlisle and me out of the room. Esme went in a moment later with clean linens and some towels and a wash basin. It was going to be a long day, of that much I was certain.

For the first time in a long time, though. I was hoping for it. I wanted to spend as much time with Bella as I could. I made my way to the kitchen to make her some food. It had to be soft and easy on her raw throat. I decided on eggs and toast and juice.

Esme came into the kitchen a few minutes later and said, "You may want to include some ice packs with that. We were as gentle as we could be, but there are so many bruises on her body, it seems no matter what we did, she was in more pain." It saddened Esme to see Bella in so much pain. "She is such a brave girl. She hid her tears as much as she could, but Alice and I both saw them." Then she walked out shaking her head.

I quickly got the food together and grabbed a couple of gel packs from the freezer then headed back upstairs to Bella's room. I could hear Alice's cheerful voice from halfway up the stairs and could tell she was trying her best to raise Bella's spirits. I don't think Alice is capable of anger, and I was certain she would never display it towards Bella. I tuned in to Alice's thoughts before I entered the room to make sure it was okay for me to enter. What I heard surprised me.

'_I wish I could just get her to smile, just once. I wonder if she knows how to smile. That vision, it was horrible. Even with the decisions made that she'll never be left alone for any period of time, it's still going to happen. Bella will be up and around, so it can't be for a while, but even still. I just can't see how we are going to mess up. We will mess up, I just wish, damn it! Why can't I see anything more clearly? Even if I'm not the one with her, it's still going to be my fault. I should know, I should be able to see….'_

I chose that moment to enter the room. Bella was in a freshly made bed wearing much more comfortable clothing. Her hair had been washed, as had her body and her bandages had been changed. She looked healthier already. Alice noticed my entrance and said a quick good bye to Bella, giving her a peck on the cheek. Bella had a look of utter shock and confusion on her face and I couldn't hold in the chuckle, nor could Alice. 

"I'll let Edward explain." Alice said as she quietly closed the door. Bella then looked to me expectantly.

"Alice is a bit of a free spirit. Always happy, always excited about something. I apologize if she frightened you at all."

"No. I just, why did she kiss me?" 

At first I didn't know how to respond. She was genuinely perplexed about Alice's actions. "I think she may already love you," I chuckled. "She is happy that you are getting better. It was a display of affection, Bella."

"But, I…I don't understand."

"She likes you Bella. That's why she kissed you on the cheek. She already thinks of you as a sister. She takes to people very quickly. Of course, knowing that you two are going to be close friends kind of speeds up the process on her end usually."

"How does she know already?"

"We didn't get much of a chance to tell you about the family before you, ah…" I wasn't sure how to phrase it delicately.

"Before I passed out from shock?" Bella finished for me.

"Well, yes. Anyway, if you would like, I can tell you about them, on one condition."

"What would that be?"

"After I tell you about them, you need to rest."

"Deal."

I hadn't missed that Bella had reverted back to short or one word responses.


	7. Chapter 7

As per usual, I don't own anything….I know, I cry too when I think about it.

I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long. Believe it or not, I usually only update from work, but I've been so busy lately (which is a switch) that I just haven't had a chance. I'm updating now though, so please don't hate me! I'd also like to take a moment to thank every one who's reviewed (and a few of you have reviewed more than once!). It keeps me wanting to write and write. Okay, and now, on with the story! P.s. All of the character information I've got here came from the Twilight Lexicon website.

EPV

"May I make another stipulation to our deal?" I asked her.

"Depends." She replied.

"You have to make a conscious effort to try to remember that those rules you were forced to live by," at this, I watched as she winced at the memories my words triggered, "do not exist in this home. We do have a couple, but they are more along the lines of not throwing breakable objects that Esme loves at one another, and no exposing ourselves for what we truly are to the world. Although, that last one is imposed on ALL vampires, not just this family. Do we have a deal?"

She seemed to be thinking it over and for a brief moment, I wasn't sure she would accept. It almost seemed painful for her to try to answer in the affirmative.

"I'm not saying that you have to just up and forget what you've been through." I told her. "Just try to remember, that in this house, no one is going to punish you for asking questions or for simply speaking."

"I can do that." She whispered.

"Good. Whom should we begin with then? How about we go in order beginning with Carlisle, as he was the first of this family?

Carlisle was born in the 1640's in London England. He was the son of an Anglican pastor and was raised during the time of religious persecution. His father led witch hunts for witches, werewolves and vampires all in the name of ridding the world of evil. As his father grew older, Carlisle was placed in charge of the raids. He wasn't as enthusiastic about killing as his father was, but he was clever enough to discover a coven of true vampires living in the sewers of the city. He helped set a trap for the vampires, but one escaped and Carlisle chased him down. He believes that the vampire was actually too hungry to run and so decided to turn and attack. The vampire fell on Carlisle and left him bleeding in the streets after killing two other men and taking off with a third.

Knowing how his father would react, Carlisle crawled away into a cellar and buried himself in rotting potatoes for three days as he changed. When he emerged, he was a vampire. At first, he tried to destroy himself by jumping from great heights and drowning himself in the ocean. Somehow, he was so repelled by what he was that he resisted feeding off of humans. He even tried to kill himself with starvation.

Eventually the thirst was too powerful and he attacked a herd of passing deer. And that's how he found that living off the blood of animals could sustain us and was infinitely more humane than taking a human life. This was around 1663. They didn't keep very precise or accurate records back then, so we're mostly guessing, but we believe he was 23 at the time."

I went on to tell her how he'd developed his immunity to the scent of human blood, how he met the Volturi in Italy. How Aro, Marcus, and Caius were the three vampires that inspired some of the works of Solimena.

"He was in Chicago in 1918 when the influenza epidemic broke out in the city and Carlisle was treating my mother and myself. My father had already been lost to the epidemic. My mother was dying and Carlisle said she seemed to know he could save me in a special way and begged him to do it. I'm not sure if it was out of loneliness alone, or the request of a dying woman, but I was lost to the epidemic myself, and Carlisle changed me.

I had a small bout of rebellion and was on my own for a few years, 1927-1931 to be exact. Being able to hear the thoughts of others, I knew why Carlisle chose the lifestyle he chose, and I could hear the sincere thoughts about it. However, I figured that I could drink from humans if they were truly evil. After a while, I couldn't escape the debt of so much human life taken, no matter how justified and returned to Carlisle who, for reasons unknown, welcomed me back with open arms."

I chanced a look at Bella then, and noticed that she was watching me intently. She looked as if she were struggling to try to say something and I encouraged her.

"What is it Bella? Do you have a question?" I asked her.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, then taking as deep a breath as her ribs would allow, said, "He welcomed you back because he loves you, I think. And when it's unconditional, it doesn't matter what you do, he'll always welcome you with open arms." It was so quiet, even with my enhanced hearing, I had to strain to catch it. She hadn't looked at me while she was speaking, I was certain that would come with time.

As the door clicked shut, Carlisle said, "She's quite correct Edward. When love is unconditional, it won't matter what you do, you will always be welcomed back with open arms. You are quite perceptive Bella. For having never experienced this, how do you know about it?" It wasn't meant as an insult, Carlisle was truly curious and by the look in Bella's eyes, I could see she knew this.

"I've read about it." Was her only reply. And like before, as she was speaking, she did not look at either Carlisle or me.

Carlisle and I exchanged a glance, and his thoughts told me that he was deeply concerned for Bella's mental and emotional health. I agreed with him entirely. To only have read about certain emotions, to never have physically experienced them for herself, it was atrocious that some one had put her through this. Instead of pointing this out to her, however, and after a warning look from Carlisle not to say what we had both been thinking, I said to her, "Would you like me to continue with our history Bella?"

Though she nodded her head in response, she still did not look up or answer verbally.

"Okay then. Well, next to join our family was Esme." I paused when the door opened and Esme walked in. As she walked to Carlisle's side I said, "I was just telling Bella our history and we've come to your part Esme. Would you like to tell it?"

"Thank you, but no. I've just come to check on how Bella is doing and then I'm off to an appointment."

"What time will you be back?" Carlisle asked her after he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I should be home by nightfall." She replied.

"Have fun." I told her.

She nodded to me then turned to Bella, smiled and patted her hand. This caused Bella to jump in surprise and then cringe as her ribs, most likely, began to hurt.

"I'm sorry dear." Esme said. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright?"

"Yes." Bella answered quietly. If our hearing had not been enhanced, I'm sure we would have missed her reply all together. "It's just, I…" she trailed off.

"You what Bella?" Carlisle asked, it seemed the doctor in him and the father/protector in him were both curious to her answer, though I wasn't sure which was more so.

"Never mind." She said.

"Bella, no one here is going to hurt you. It's okay, whatever it is dear." Esme said, her mothering instincts kicking in full force. She sat on the edge of the bed and held Bella's hand to let her know it was safe. When Bella didn't look up, Esme got down to her eye level and looked her right in the face and met Bella's eyes. She smiled reassuringly and told her again that it was safe here.

"It's just, I've never had some one touch me before out of kindness, just…only when…when…" she couldn't finish.

"Oh Bella." Esme said. She sat back on the bed and pulled Bella into a gentle hug. Bella's eyes went as large as saucers before she clamped them shut waiting for the blow that would not be falling onto her frail body. Carlisle placed a reassuring hand on her back, and rubbed soothing circles into it. Bella cringed with every move of his hand, but eventually realized that he wouldn't hit her and relaxed, if only a little.

Esme pulled back and looked Bella in the eyes. "You won't ever have to fear us in that manner, I promise you." Her voice full of concern, and motherly love. "Now, you have not touched your food, and those gel packs won't stay cold for long. Edward, put that tray here on the bed where she can reach it and hand me a gel pack please." Esme instructed.

I complied immediately. In my haste to comfort Bella, I had almost forgotten about her need for the food. At first contact with the gel packs, Bella flinched in pain, as the cold began to numb some of the bruises, however, she relaxed enough to let them do their work. I noticed Carlisle add something to Bella's IV and Bella herself looked to see what I was looking at.

"It's just to help with pain management." Carlisle said. "By the time those gel packs are warm again, this will be working," and he smiled at her in encouragement.

"How about you eat, and I'll talk?" I asked her.

"Okay." She whispered.

I placed the tray so it was over her lap while Esme got up to leave.

"I'll be back to check on you later Bella. Edward, a word please?" Carlisle said, following Esme to the door.

"I'll be right back" I assured Bella.

I got up from my seat and followed Carlisle out to the hallway.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"I just want to remind you that she needs to be kept calm. She needs rest, lots of it. Also, I need to go back to the hospital. While I'm gone, some one needs to be with her at all times. Maybe even two people. Just give her something other than herself to think about for now, keep her distracted until she can get back to sleep." He instructed.

Just as I was about to answer, Alice came dancing down the hall with an armful of magazines. "I thought she might like something to look at and what better than the latest fashion trends?" She exclaimed happily.

"I'm on call if you need me." Carlisle said, eyeing Alice wearily. "And Alice, she needs to be calm" he stressed. "Don't do anything that might agitate her."

Alice pouted for a moment and calmed down a bit before heading in, I followed closely behind.

As we walked into the room, I noticed that the food hadn't been touched.

"Bella, you haven't eaten anything. How come?" Alice asked.

"Bella?" I said softly. When I got no response, I began to worry. I made my way to her bedside quickly only to discover that Bella had dozed off. Her brow was slightly furrowed and she was frowning. She was breathing evenly, so for the moment I knew she would be fine.

Alice and I sat there discussing what all we could do to help Bella, when after a few moments, we heard a sharp intake of air and Bella's eyes shot open. She blinked a few times and then looked around, turning her head as little as possible.

Her eyes found mine, and I smiled at her. I could see the corners of her mouth turn up a little, but I don't think she'd ever really smiled in her life, so this was new to her.

"Hi there." I said quietly to her. "Are you hungry?"

"A little." She replied.

She reached for her fork, but stopped abruptly when her shoulder made a popping sound. Then tried the other hand. She picked up the fork and dropped it almost as quickly.

"I think whatever Carlisle gave you is interfering with your ability to function properly," Alice giggled.

Bella looked like she was about to cry. "It's nothing to be ashamed of Bella," Alice said quickly. "It's the drugs. It means they are working. You are being numbed up a bit so that you can rest a bit easier and with less pain." Alice explained. "Here, how about Edward tells you the rest of our history and I'll help you eat? Does that sound okay?"

"I just, I really don't want to be a burden." She replied, her words slurred slightly from the drugs.

"It's no trouble. I swear!" Alice said. "Besides, I can see that we are going to be as close as sisters and I'd do anything for my sister!" She said as she picked up the fork and started to scoops some of the eggs onto the fork.

I sat there watching, completely entranced by the spectacle that is my sister. How easily she could adapt to the situation, and make Bella feel completely at ease.

"Ahem. Edward. I believe you were in the middle of telling Bella our history?"

"Right. Let's see, where was I?" Of course I knew the answer, I just wanted to hear Bella's voice one more time.

"Esme." She whispered.

"Ah, yes. Let's see. Esme was born in 1895 in Columbus, Ohio. She first met Carlisle in 1911 after she'd broken her leg falling out of a tree. The local doctor had been away, and Carlisle was the doctor who treated her. It was his last month in the town, and for some reason, Esme never forgot about him, even after he'd left. She was married to a man in 1917, but found out that it was a bad decision. Her parents counseled her to be a good wife and keep quiet. So, when he was drafted to fight in WW1, it was a huge relief to her. When he came back in 1919, it was terrifying for her.

Shortly after his return, Esme discovered she was pregnant. The pregnancy was Esme's catalyst to escape. She couldn't and wouldn't let a child b brought into that home. She ran away in 1920 to live with a cousin in Wisconsin and then moved further north when her parents found out where she was. She blended in easily, pretending to be one of the many war widows. She taught school in a small community outside of Ashland. When her baby died in 1921 from a lung infection just a few days after he was born, she felt she had nothing left. She decided to end her life and jumped off a cliff, having no idea that Carlisle was working in the hospital. Carlisle, of course, remembered her as the happy girl she had been at sixteen. He didn't want her to die and so he saved her.

She said that when she opened her eyes, in all that pain, and saw the face that she'd never forgotten in a decade, she was relieved. She was not really that upset to find out she was a vampire, but she didn't take in stride as Emmett had. Still, she was happy to be with the man of her dreams. And because she always had that mothering ache, it was natural that she fell into the role as our mother here, even though I am older than she is, technically."

"Bella, I know the toast is going to hurt a bit, so we'll skip it, but the juice has lots of vitamins in it, so that you are going to have to drink." Alice said.

"Is that how a mother should be?" Bella asked.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked her.

"It's nothing, never mind. Who's next?" Bella asked, changing the subject. I might have pressed her had Carlisle told me to take her mind off of her own condition.

"Next came Rosalie. She was born in 1915 in Rochester, New York. Originally, Carlisle thought she would make a good companion for me, since he had Esme, but we never felt anything more for each other than the bonds of a brother and sister."

"They fight like a brother and sister too, you should hear them!" Alice interjected. A small smile made it's way to Bella's face, I hoped to see many more of those.

"We have our moments." I replied. "She was changed in 1933, when she was 18. It was Rosalie who brought Emmett to the family. She loves to tinker with cars, you wouldn't think so by looking at her, but she has a wonderful mind for machines. I don't think she's met a car yet that she hasn't been able to improve upon.

After her came Emmett. As I said, it was Rose who brought Emmett to the family. She was out hunting and found him being attacked by a bear. He very nearly died, but Rosalie saw something in him and brought him back to Carlisle to be saved. Emmett was born in 1915 in Tennessee and it was in 1935 that Rose found him.

Emmett describes the event as being saved by an angel who brought him to God. Once the pain of the change had passed, Rosalie and Carlisle explained the situation to him, and to their surprise, the whole vampire issue didn't disturb him. He said to them, "But if Carlisle and Rosalie, my angel, were vampires, how bad could it be?" He had trouble with our way of life at first, but eventually found the resolve to stick with it."

"He and Rose have married several times just for show. Emmett will do anything to make her happy and since she likes the attention, he gives her a wedding every so many years. Sometimes he and Rosalie live away from us as a newlywed couple, and it's well they do, they make so much noise!" Alice put in and she couldn't stifle the laughter from bubbling over. Hearing her music like laugh brought a smile to my face and I was immensely pleased to see Bella smiling as well.

"Sorry, I'll quit interrupting." Alice said.

"It's quite alright." I answered. "Especially since it's making Bella smile. And you do have a very lovely smile, Bella." I told her. This brought a deep blush to her cheeks, the scent almost knocking me off the chair. I could feel the hunger building, to the point where I almost lunged for her.

"Edward, perhaps I should finish the history lesson while you get some fresh air?" Alice said. It was phrased as a question, though she voiced it with more authority than I'd ever heard from her. I nodded to let her know I'd heard and quickly got up and left.

As I was on my way out the door, I heard Alice begin to explain to Bella, "I'm sorry about that. For some reason, your blood seems to call to him in a way no other ever has. It's an even stronger call than for the rest of us. Don't worry though. He has more restraint than any one, except Carlisle of course, I've ever met before.

BPV

Alice had some how gotten me to laugh. It seemed to make Edward happy to hear it, though I'm not sure why. It's been so long since I've heard my own laugh it still sounded sad, even to me.

"It's okay." I said to her after she explained why Edward had to leave.

"Well, anyway. I believe I was next on his list of biographies. So, where to start? I don't really remember anything from when I was human. I've done some research though. I know I was born around 1901 in Biloxi, Mississippi. I was in an asylum for most of the time. I found my parents' graves and mine too, and my death is marked as the day I was put away. I know that I was changed there. I don't know who did it, or why, but who ever did just left me."

Alice got a far away look in her eyes, as if she was trying to force herself to remember. As I watched her, the door opened again and Jasper came in.

"Alice?" He asked. "Everything okay?" When she didn't answer, I looked between the two of them.

"Alice?" I whispered.

"She'll be fine." Jasper tried to reassure me. I wasn't convinced though. She looked so sad. Then her eyes glazed over completely and she sat up as tall as she could and went completely stiff. She grabbed my leg and squeezed, trying to steady herself. I let out a small yelp in pain as her grip tightened more and more the longer she stayed like that.

"Alice, if you can hear me, you need to let go of Bella. You're hurting her." Jasper said as he tried to ease her hand off my leg. Instead, her grip got even tighter.

"Carlisle!" Jasper yelled. "Alice. Tell me what you see."

The door opened and Carlisle rushed in, followed closely by Edward. I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face at this point. I was afraid for Alice, something was wrong with her, and my leg hurt so much. I had a feeling if she squeezed any tighter, she would break it. Edward grabbed my hand and told me to squeeze it for the pain.

"We have to get her hand off that leg. She's going to break it." Carlisle said to Jasper quietly.

"Alice. What do you see?" Jasper asked her again.

"She's outside. He's watching her from the trees. She's alone, he's just watching. She stands up, goes to the flowers, I think she's going to pick some, and he grabs her. She's pinned to a tree. She can't breathe. He hits her. She's crying, he's telling her something. She won't stop crying and he hits her again. Her feet aren't even on the ground anymore. He has her by the throat. There's some one else behind him, encouraging him." She said. Every word was monotone.

Alice blinked a couple times and her eyes refocused. The room was quiet as she got her bearings straight.

"Alice," Carlisle said gently. "you need to let go of Bella's leg, now." It was a gently phrased command.

"What?" Alice asked. When she looked down at her hand, her eyes widened and she let go immediately. "Oh, Bella! I'm so sorry."

Carlisle lifted my pant leg, while Edward continued to hold my hand. I had stopped squeezing, showing pain or letting some one know how much pain I am in isn't allowed, well, now it is, but that will take some getting used to.

"Bella," Jasper started. "It's okay. Remember, no rules here. You don't have to hide anything from us." He said reassuringly.

Edward looked at Jasper and something seemed to pass between the two. He then turned to me and said, "Bella, it's okay. I'm here. You don't have to keep all that pain inside anymore."

I wanted so desperately to believe him. Before I could even think about saying anything in response, something freezing cold was placed on my leg where Alice's hand had been. The shock from the cold and the amount of pain already there made me cry out again. As a knee-jerk reaction, I closed my eyes and waited for some one to hit me, but it never came. Instead, I was shifted, slightly and gently, and Edward was sitting next to me, resting my head against his chest while he continued to hold my hand. 

"Shhhhhhhh….it's okay Bella. You can let it out." Edward said, as his free arm found it's way around to my back and began to rub comforting circles.

The most amazing thing happened next, I cried, and cried, and cried. All of the pain I'd been holding in, all the hurt, all the fear, I let it all out. I'm not sure how long I sat there, being held, feeling safe for the first time in my entire life, just sobbing like a baby. I was dimly aware of Carlisle saying something about my leg, Alice apologizing and Jasper telling her the tears had absolutely nothing to do with what happened. At some point, I must have fallen asleep. I felt Edward begin to shift me and Carlisle asking him if he'd be okay to stay there for a while.

"Of course." Edward answered him quietly.

"I just don't want her moving again for a while, and also, she needs the rest. I'm afraid if she's moved, even just a little, she'll wake back up and will force herself to stay awake."

"I'm so sorry." I could hear Alice say quietly.

"Alice," Jasper whispered. "I told you, this had nothing to do with her leg. I'm sure it was painful, but this, this was the release she's been needing for who knows how long."

"What?" She asked.

"She finally let loose all the pain, and fear and hurt. I thought at some point I was going to have to force it on her, I'm so glad she came to it on her own. I'm not sure how this is going to affect her later, I just know that it's not all there just below the surface anymore. It's all out in the open. I'm going to have to leave for a bit when she wakes up, I didn't realize just how much was there. Though, Edward, I can tell you she feels incredibly safe there with you. Probably for the first time in a very long time." Jasper explained, quietly, so as not to wake me up.

I felt Edward sigh, and then he kissed the top of my head. "You are safe with me." He whispered into my hair. I wanted to open my eyes, smile and thank him, all of them, but instead, everything seemed to get heavier, darker. Instead of drifting the rest of the way into sleep, it got hard for me to breathe. It felt like my lungs were being squeezed, but Edward's arm was around my waist. The room felt about twenty degrees warmer and I broke out in a sweat. I could hear the heart monitor pick up and feel my heart beating hard in my chest. I began to panic. I didn't know what was happening, but I did know I didn't like it, it hurt in places and was extremely uncomfortable in others. 

"What's going on?" Alice asked, her voice wavering and scared.

"I don't know. She's starting to panic though Edward." Jasper answered.

"Bella, if you can hear me, it's okay. Just breathe, try to calm down." Edward said to me.

I wanted to tell him that I couldn't breathe, that calming down was out of the question, but I couldn't get my mouth to work.

The door opened and I could hear them telling Carlisle what happened.

"It was probably the sudden release of all that emotion. Her body doesn't know how to handle it. Subconsciously, she's probably waiting for the punishment that she used to receive. Now that she's not getting it, her body is going into panic mode." Carlisle explained to every one.

"How do we calm her down?" Edward asked. "She's barely getting air into her lungs. Her fever is back too." I could hear the panic in his voice.

"Jasper, she needs calm." Carlisle said.

"I've been trying. It's not working. Maybe it's not calm she needs, maybe…" he trailed off. After a moment, I began to feel lighter, the pressure lifting off of me. It was still difficult to breathe, but it was becoming more manageable, and I could feel my heart calming down, and hear it on the monitor too. I could feel Edward physically relax a little behind me too. The room was still too warm though.

"Pull the covers back. She needs to cool down." Alice said. "Jasper, open a window too, please."

"This will help her rest." I heard Carlisle say.

I wanted to tell them I didn't want to rest, I didn't want to dream.

"Wait." Jasper said. "She's starting to panic again."

"Bella, it's okay." Edward told me. "I know you can hear what's going on around you. You need to rest. Your body needs sleep so you can begin to recover."

He didn't understand though. In my dreams all I see is their faces. All I can see is my mom, when I found her.

"She's scared." Jasper said. "I don't think she wants to sleep."

"No," Alice said. "She doesn't want to dream. She has nightmares. They are so frightening. Oh Bella! I wouldn't want to sleep either. Carlisle?"

"I can give her something that will make her sleep without dreams. It won't be as effective for her recovery, but…" Carlisle said.

"It'll be better for her recovery most likely." Alice interrupted him. "If she isn't dreaming, she's not flailing around or waking up and trying to jump out of bed and then needing her ribs rebound. She won't be panicking as much either, so that when she's healthy, her body will be strong enough to handle everything."

I could feel myself relaxing a bit. I felt a wave of calm wash over me, I'm not quite sure where it came from.

"Edward. I'm going to ask that you stay there still. I don't want her moving at all if it can be avoided." Carlisle said.

"I wasn't planning on moving." Edward told him.

The next thing I knew, I was drifting off into a beautiful dreamless sleep.

"Did she just sigh?" Alice asked

"I think so." Edward told her.

I could hear a bit more talking, but it was completely lost on me as I drifted away.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the freakishly long chapter 7. There was so much to put in, and then I realized how long it was getting, so I had to end it. I'll continue with this one, consider it Chapter 7 part 2. teehee So, I need some feedback here. I want to know what you think. I haven't received a single flame…thank God! But the reviews have dropped off a bit. And now on with the show!

EPV

I sat as still as I could while watching Bella sleep. When I had heard Jasper yell for Carlisle, I was immediately gripped with fear. What I saw in the room when we entered did nothing to lessen that fear. Alice's hand was gripping Bella's leg so tightly I thought that she would break it. Thankfully, she didn't, and Carlisle said it will be nothing more than a nasty bruise, granted the bruise is down to the bone, and Alice feels horrid about it, but a bruise is better than a break.

Alice's thoughts have been in turmoil ever since. She keeps bouncing back and forth between the vision and what she did to Bella. She's trying to think up ways to make up for it and ways to prevent the vision from happening. Even with the decision made to not let Bella be alone, it's still going to happen. I don't understand how though. I know I for one, will not be letting Bella out of my sight. Why wasn't I there?

Bella's breathing had evened out by now and her heart had calmed down. Her fever had broken after an hour, though her temperature is still higher than it should be. Carlisle said it was from all of the excitement, and when she wakes up, I'll give her an aspirin to help reduce it the rest of the way.

She slept the rest of the day and through the night. Come the next morning I was beginning to wonder if she'd ever wake up again. Carlisle checked on her a few times, and said everything was normal. He didn't give her another dose of whatever he gave her to make her sleep, and it didn't seem she needed it.

A little after noon, Carlisle came back.

"She's still asleep?" He asked.

"Yes." I replied. "Carlisle, you didn't give her enough to make her sleep this long. Is something wrong?"

"I think the exhaustion just caught up with her." He answered. "If she's still asleep come evening, I'll run some tests."

Before he could turn to leave the room, Bella groaned quietly. She started to fidget in my arms and before I could stop her, she sat up straight and began screaming.

I gently put my hands on her shoulders so as not to scare her and she calmed back down but then started crying again. I looked to Carlisle just as the door opened and the rest of the family hurried into the room.

"What happened?" Esme asked.

"She woke up screaming again." Carlisle told every one.

I looked at Jasper in time to see him grip the door jam and turn to leave. His thoughts told me that it was just too much for him. She was terrified of whatever she'd seen behind her eye lids and reality had not yet set in on her.

Alice approached Bella slowly, trying not to scare her more and sat down in front of her. She then reached up and gently pulled Bella into a hug and let her cry on her shoulder. Esme left and came back again with a wet wash cloth once Bella had calmed down. Alice took the cloth and began to wipe the tears from Bella's face then placed the cool cloth across Bella's forehead.

"Feeling better now?" Carlisle asked her.

Bella didn't answer, she just continued staring at whatever had woken her, I hadn't noticed that her eyes were glassy, and not from crying.

"She's not awake." I told every one.

"That doesn't make sense Ed." Emmett argued. "Her eyes are open."

"I see that, but look at them. They are glassed over. She's still sleeping. Carlisle, how long ago did those drugs wear off?" I asked.

"They would have worn off about six hours after they were administered." He replied.

"So she's been dreaming for at least eight hours now. No wonder Jasper couldn't stay in the room." Rosalie mumbled.

"The poor Dear." Esme sighed from beside Carlisle, who wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed the top of her head as she rested her own head against his chest, tucked under his chin.

"She's going to be okay, eventually." Alice said. "I've seen it. She's happy and smiling, and laughing freely. And in love." She added looking pointedly at me.

I was about to respond when Bella groaned again. I looked down and her eyes were focused, though still glassed over. She began to mumble and then quite clearly yelled, "Phil, you killed her! She's dead. She's d…" and then she stopped abruptly. He body remembering what her memory was showing her. Bella took a deep breath, her eyes cleared and tried to sit back up, but I held her to me, afraid to let her go and afraid she would hurt herself more if she moved.

Bella hadn't quite figured out that she was awake yet though, and began to struggle and fight back in my arms.

"Shhhhh. Bella, it's okay. You're safe." I told her.

"Bella." Carlisle said trying to get her attention. "Bella, I need you to calm down before you…" Before Carlisle could finish the statement though, we all heard a cracking noise that came distinctly from Bella's ribs. She gasped in pain and then started taking quick shallow breathes and reached for her side.

"Bella, I need you to try to relax a little. Breathing will get easier the calmer you are." Carlisle tried to instruct her. Alice left the room and came back moments later with Jasper while I was trying to soothe Bella's nerves.

A feeling of deep calm spread throughout the room then and Bella visibly relaxed in my arms. For a moment, I thought she'd fallen back asleep, but then she tried to turn her head to look at me. I stopped her before she could get too far though, realizing that she'd momentarily forgotten about the pain moving her head around causes her.

"It's okay Bella. You really are safe." I soothed her.

"Please don't make me sleep again." She pleaded with me. "I can't…I…I just…"

"It's okay. I know. We shouldn't have let you go beyond what the drugs time limit was." I said to her.

Carlisle looked at me and silently said, "She needs the sleep Edward, even if it conjures these nightmares, she needs it for her body to recuperate."

"I know." I answered him. "But while her body needs it, I don't think her mind can handle it now, not to mention the affect it seems to have on her body."

"I've noticed that. I don't know how to counter it, not yet anyway. The only thing I can think of is to keep Jasper in the room, but I'm not sure HE can handle it. Her emotions are so strong. I'll talk to him. Get Bella calmed down, get her to try to eat, and, perhaps Alice and Esme will get her cleaned up a bit."

I gave a slight nod to indicate that I'd heard him and he ushered the family out of the room to speak with Jasper. Alice remained behind with me.

"Are you feeling any better?" Alice asked her.

Bella didn't answer, just gave the smallest shrug of her shoulders and refused to look anywhere but her hands folded in her lap.

"Bella, I am so very sorry that we did not wake you. You really did need the rest though, and up until about twenty minutes ago, you seemed to be sleeping dreamlessly." I told her.

"Please, just, don't make me sleep anymore." Was the whispered plea I received.

"For now, we won't Bella. I promise." I reassured her. "When you start getting stronger though, you'll have to sleep. Carlisle went to speak with Jasper to see if he could help at all."

Bella gave me a quizzical look. "I don't think I understand." She said.

"We didn't get to finish telling you about us." Alice replied cheerily. "We didn't finish with me yet."

"Ah." I said. "If I remember correctly, you had just told Bella that you were left on your own." Alice nodded. "We don't know why some one would have changed her, just to leave her. But we are thankful that she had a bit of precognitive ability in her human life, it was transferred and enhanced when she entered this life."

"Why is that a good thing?" Bella asked.

Alice smiled and replied, "Because it is quite possibly the only reason I didn't turn into a savage."

Bella tensed up in my arms. I cut in and said, "Because she had a vision of Carlisle's way of life and began to search him out. Along the way, she had a vision of Jasper, who was searching for some one and Alice helped him out. She found him in 1948 and two years later they found us and have been a part of this family ever since." 

"Unlike Rose, I'm not about all the attention that the wedding brings, so Jasper and I only married the one time, but that was enough for me, enough to last through eternity."

"For me too." Jasper said from the door, looking at his wife with adoration in his eyes.

"Who were you searching for?" Bella asked.

"Turns out, I was searching for Alice." He answered.

"Jasper was born in 1843 in Texas." Alice started. "He served as a Major in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The family that changed him in 1863 was different from us in their…"

"Dietary habits." I finished for Alice. "They didn't survive off animals." 

"It's true. So, eventually, I became depressed over the way of life and began looking for something better. Eventually my search led to Alice." Jasper put in.

"He does have a bit of difficulty with this lifestyle and generally avoids contact with humans, as he's been on this diet for the shortest amount of time." Alice said.

"But I do it because I don't want to be a monster, and because Alice asked me to." Jasper said.

"He'd do anything for her Bella. Alice is Jasper's life." I said. "This is how a husband and wife should be. This is how a family should be."

I would have continued, but I felt Bella shudder under my arms. Alice looked at Jasper, who was staring intently at Bella.

"When I was human, Bella, I had the uncanny ability to sway people. If a fight was about to break out in a bar, say, I was always some how able to talk people out of it. Now in this life, I'm able to sway people's emotions. I feel them just as strongly as if they were my own. For instance, just now, you were feeling apprehension. I know you aren't used to how a true family should interact, but we will show you. Someday, if Alice is correct…"

"I'm rarely wrong." Alice said confidently.

"Someday, you will be a part of this family, happily interacting." Jasper finished.

Bella looked at him in disbelief. "No one bets against Alice." I said to her.

"Now, as for this sleep thing." Jasper said.

"Please no." Bella pleaded again.

"Not now Jasper." I told him silently. "She's just started to calm down. Give her some time, talk to her later tonight."

"Okay." He answered, out loud.

"Okay?" Bella asked.

"Uh, Edward and I will talk to you about it later." Jasper answered.

"Where you talking with…with your…?"

"Minds, yes. When Edward was human, he was able to clearly read people, and now he can hear their thoughts." Alice answered. "For some reason, he can't hear your's though. How strange is that?"

"How incredibly frustrating is it is a much better question." I stated.

"Welcome to the world the rest of us live in Brother." Jasper chided me.

"So, now that you know all about us," I started, "how about we get some food into you?"

"What are the other's, um, abilities?" Bella asked.

"Well, some of us bring something a little extra into the next life, like Alice seeing visions and Jasper being able to influence people's emotions or my ability to read minds. Not every one has an "active" ability, if you will. Carlisle, for instance, brought his compassion for human life, and Esme her ability to love unconditionally, Rose brought her beauty and tenacity, and Emmett brought his strength." I explained.

"Alice? What you saw, who did you see?" Bella asked.

Alice looked at me, then at Jasper, and finally back at Bella. "We wanted to wait a bit to tell you." She started. "Until you were starting to get better so that you had a bit more strength."

"Tell me what?" Bella asked.

"The person I saw being, well, being attacked, Bella, it was you. I don't know who the man was, and there was another person that I couldn't see, I just knew they were there. Bella, I'm so sorry. I don't know how, but we are going to screw something up and you are going to be alone for a moment and that's when they'll get to you. We've already decided that you won't be alone, not for a second. I just don't understand!" Alice exclaimed frustrated.

Bella tensed in my arms, and then relaxed. I looked to Jasper who gave a very tight nod, and then mouthed thank you to him.

"What, what did the man…what did he look like?" Bella stammered.

Alice looked to me and I shook my head no. It's too much I don't think Bella's mind or heart could handle it right now.

"I'm not sure Bella." Alice lied. "In my vision he was blurry, I couldn't make out his face."

"Oh." Bella said.

BPV

Fear like I hadn't felt in a very long time gripped me, and then out of no where, I felt calmer. I noticed Jasper give Edward a tight nod.

When I asked Alice what the man looked like, she looked right at Edward, and I can't be sure, but I'm almost positive that she lied. She wouldn't look at me, that's what gave her away.

"Please, Alice, don't lie to me. What did he look like?" I asked again.

"Bella, if I tell you, I'm just not sure you'll be able to handle it right now. What I see when I tell you scares me." She replied quietly. 

"Bella," Edward said. "We are going to tell you, but from what Alice can gather, this won't happen for a while, so we've got time. We want to wait until your heart is a bit more stable." He explained to me.

I'll admit, it made sense, but it still didn't make me feel anymore secure. Of course that didn't last long with Jasper in the room.

"You'll be up and around soon though!" Alice said cheerily. "And look! I've brought magazines for you to look through. I can already see some great things that will beautiful on you! I can't wait until you are all better so I can take you shopping!"

The look of absolute horror on my face made Alice stop abruptly. "What is it? What's wrong?" Alice asked in alarm.

Before I could answer, Jasper let loose a roaring laugh, and after a moment, Edward joined in too. Alice looked back and forth between the two of them momentarily until she rounded on them.

"And just WHAT is so funny?" She asked them.

"Alice, she was good until you said shopping. I thought for sure we'd have to tie her down to keep her in that bed!" Jasper exclaimed.

Alice turned back to me, looking like some one had taken away her favorite toy.

"You don't like shopping?" She asked incredulously.

I couldn't answer her, the images of me in clothing stores, people being able to see my scars, see that I was broken and unfixable flooded my mind.

"Bella?" I heard Jasper say. "It's not the idea of shopping, it's something else. What is it?" He asked me.

I felt, rather than saw, all of their eyes turn to me. Then I heard the door open, and a few words were exchanged and the rest of the family seemed to filter in. I couldn't do it though, I just couldn't get my mouth to let the words out. I closed my eyes and tried to turn my head, but Edward's hands stopped me.

"It'll hurt." He told me, again.

How could I possibly keep forgetting about that? It was if the years of ignoring the pain had somehow taught me to forget that I was even in pain until I did something to exacerbate it.

"Bella, what is it that has you so…" Esme started.

"Sad." Jasper finished for her. "Sad and horrified."

"It's just shopping. Geez." Rosalie commented.

"It's not shopping, Rose." Jasper replied. "It's something else."

"It's nothing." I lied quietly.

For a moment, I wasn't sure they had even heard me. Then, Alice turned her head to me, her eyes glazed over and she closed them, this time holding onto Jasper for support.

"Alice?" He asked.

She opened her eyes again and looked right into mine. "Oh, Bella." She said. "I'm so sorry, I never even thought about it. I never took into account…" She thankfully didn't finish and saved me the embarrassment.

"What didn't you take into account Alice?" Rosalie asked her.

"It doesn't matter." Edward answered.

Dawning fell on me at that moment that Edward had seen what Alice had seen because he could see into her mind. Knowing that he knew I was scarred and broken and unfixable made everything seem so much worse. I wanted to just shrink into the bed and hide away forever.

"Bella." Jasper breathed. He then quickly left the room.

"It's okay." Edward whispered to me. "I still think you are beautiful. Bella, you have no idea. Please, try not to think about it too much."

"Jasper?" I questioned.

"Whatever you were feeling just now was too strong and too negative for him to be able to handle." Carlisle answered me.

I felt the waves of guilt crash over me. Mixed with that the horror of Edward knowing that I was broken, ruined, and the sadness of knowing that I wouldn't be able to grant Alice her wish and make her happy, it was more than I could take and tears started to leak out of the corners of my eyes.

"It's going to be okay, really." Alice told me, patting my hand.

I wanted to smile at her, to believe her, but how could I?

After a while, every one left again, only this time, instead of Alice staying behind, Rosalie did, and Edward seemed as if he would never move again.

"So," Rosalie began. "Obviously I missed something. Care to let me in on the secret?" She asked me, though she was looking at Edward.

"Rose, drop it." Edward said to her in a warning tone.

"Look, Bella. I know all of this is hard for you, but the more you keep everything bottled up like you are, the longer it's going to take for you to get better." She replied, looking me right in the eye.

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to tell her every horrible thing that had ever happened to me, to show her my back and the evidence of the life I led, to show her why I would never go to a public dressing room where every one could see me, see how utterly lost I was. Instead, I kept my mouth shut and averted my eyes.

"Fine. But know this, we've all got stuff in our past that haunts us. It's how you deal with it that matters. If you don't deal with it Bella, I can almost guarantee that it will eat you alive." She said to me, then stood and left the room.

I could do nothing but stare at the place she had been sitting on the bed.

"She's not wrong you know." Edward said from behind me. "She's wrong to try to force it out of you, but what she said, about it eating you alive, she was very much correct about that."

"I…I don't…I'm not…" I started. I just couldn't get my mouth to form the thoughts in my head, there were just too many.

"Let's start with something simple." Edward suggested. "A short yes and no. How does that sound?"

"Okay." I answered.

"When you were gripped with that sadness that Jasper felt from you, was it the act of shopping? I'll admit, Alice can get a bit carried away, however, if I were to accompany you, she would be kept reigned in, I assure you."

"No." I answered.

"Did it have anything to do with the state of your physical being? As I said before, I think you are beautiful. Bella, I have to admit to you, I had to help Carlisle when we first got you to the hospital, and again once we got you here. I've seen the damage, the scars. Please, do not be upset about this, it couldn't be helped."

"Yes." Was the only answer I could think of.

"You know, I'm not sure when the last time you went shopping was…"

"I was very young."

"Oh Bella. You've missed out on so much. Anyway. The dressing rooms have doors or curtains on them so you have privacy to change and try on clothes. You won't have to worry about people seeing your back if you don't want them to."

I didn't respond, what was there to say really? I was so tired at this point. I wanted nothing more than to escape into the darkness of unconsciousness, but at the same time, I was terrified to close my eyes. The dreams that always start the moment I fall asleep torment me and what I see doesn't always stay in the dreams, it follows me once I wake up and takes a while to get the images out of my head.

"I know you are exhausted." Edward said. "Are you sure you don't want to try to get some rest?"

"No." I lied. "I'm fine. I don't need to rest right now."

"Alright then, is there anything else you would like to do?"

"Take a nice bath." I answered without thinking.

"I'm not sure that can happen right now, but I can ask Esme and Alice to come in and bathe you and change your clothes and these sheets if you'd like."

"Why…" I couldn't figure out how to phrase the rest of the question in my mind and Edward seemed to know that there was more than 'why'.

"Why what?" He asked as he rubbed circles on my back and up and down my arms.

"Why…why do you all care so much?"

"Well, as I've explained before, you are a part of this family now Bella. Alice and Emmett and Rosalie and even Jasper already consider you their sister. Esme and Carlisle think of you as another of their children as well. And I, well, I have another confession to make. Bella, at first, I thought of you as some one to look after, to protect. Those feelings though, they are more than that now. I know you need time to adjust, that everything is moving so fast, I can honestly say I've never felt this way about any one before, but Carlisle assures me that these feelings can happen out of the blue, at first sight even. For me, I think they may have come on at first sight. The moment I saw you in the parking lot at school, you had me then. I know you will need lots of time, though I should tell you that Alice has seen something in regards to your feelings towards me, later on down the road that is." He told me.

I tried to take it all in. He has feelings for me? What kinds of feelings?

"Edward," I whispered. "I don't know what to say. I only know one kind of feeling for people to have toward me. Are you angry with me? Have I done something?" I asked him.

"Bella, no!" He said emphatically. "You could never do anything to anger me. Bella, the feelings I am developing for you, they are good feelings, I believe, even though I've known you for such a short period of time, that I am falling in love with you." He explained to me.

"Love." I whispered. I'd never experienced love. I gathered by the smile on Edward's face as he explained to me that love is a good thing, a happy thing. Is love a thing, no, it's a feeling, Edward had described love as a feeling.

"Yes. I know it's sudden and confusing, and Bella, I will not push you into anything you are not ready for. I just wanted to be upfront and honest with you."

"Thank you." I said sincerely, though, it seemed most inadequate compared to what he'd just told me.

"And Bella, Carlisle wants you to get some rest."

"No! Please, no." 

"Carlisle thinks that with Jasper in here to help sway your emotions while you sleep, you won't have those nightmares. Perhaps he can sway you into not dreaming at all." He mused.

"I don't want to dream, please, Edward, don't make me." I pleaded with him.

EPV

I wanted so badly to give her what she was pleading me for, but I could feel her becoming exhausted. I silently called for Jasper, and a moment later both Jasper and Alice came into the room.

"It's going to work Bella." Alice said with confidence and an inviting smile.

"Please, don't make me." Bella pleaded with Jasper and me. I almost couldn't stand the hurt and fearful look in Bella's eyes as she pleaded with us.

"Bella," Jasper began, "you won't get better without rest. Your body needs it to heal. I am going to make it so you have good dreams. There will be no feelings of distress or fear, you won't have any nightmares. I'm not going to leave until you wake up again, so there will be no room for those nightmares to get into your mind while you sleep."

"Please." She begged me.

"I'm sorry Bella. It really is for your own well being that we do this. I promise, I won't leave, neither will Alice or Jasper. You will be completely safe, and Alice has already seen that this will work. You have nothing to fear. Try to relax. Are you comfortable?" I attempted to reassure her.

"Not really." She answered as she attempted to shift herself around. The grimaces of pain as she tried to move her body turned to tears as the pain became too much.

I shifted so I was beside her, lying down, I placed her head on my chest and pulled the covers back over her. Alice placed a couple of pillows behind her to conform to her body just in case.

"Okay Bella." Jasper said. "I want you to close your eyes and relax yourself as much as you can, I'll take care of the rest."

Bella did as she was told and closed her eyes. I monitored Jasper's thoughts while he closed his eyes as well. The amount of concentration he was using was astounding, his patience immeasurable.

"Edward." He said silently to me. "I need her more relaxed."

I began to gently rub her back, run my fingers through her hair, then down her arm and back up again. I could feel her physically relaxing and Jasper let me know it was working.

As Bella's breathing evened out, so did Jasper's. He'd attuned himself to Bella's emotions and was already sending influence her way.

Alice stayed by Jasper the entire time, rubbing his neck and shoulders, doing whatever she could to help him, and it was working.

After eight hours, Jasper finally opened his eyes and Bella began to stir, her eye lids fluttered open and she looked healthier than we'd yet to see her.

"Good morning." I said to her quietly.

She didn't respond verbally, but I noticed the ghost of a smile playing across her lips.

"Did you sleep well?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, thank you." Bella answered.

"I'll be back tonight." Jasper said as he stood and headed toward the door. "Bella, I promise, as long as you need it, I'll be here to help." He assured her.

"We all will." Alice said behind him. "I'm going to go and get Esme and Rose so they can get you bathed and changed, then I think Jasper and I need to spend some time camping during the day today." Alice told me.

"You only camp during the day?" Bella asked perplexed.

"No, it's just habit for us to say camping. They are probably going to hunt. If we tried to explain an absence by saying we were going hunting every time the sun would be out, or if we were going to be gone for a prolonged amount of time, people might become suspicious." I explained.

"Oh."

A few moments later, Esme and Rose came in with fresh towels and clean, comfortable clothes for Bella. I shifted her to a sitting position assured her I wouldn't be far, and left to gather some entertainment for the day ahead.


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, quickie a/n here….just wanted to let you know that this is a 3 week time jump. I could go into all the boring details of Bella's recovery and how she's fitting in with the family, or I could just jump ahead 3 weeks and have people reminisce about the finer points. Personally, I prefer the second option, I find myself getting bored with stories that include all the other stuff. Just so you know, nothing major happened. She got rest and is getting better and is fitting in wonderfully. Now, on with the show, and per usual, I unfortunately own none of the works or words of Ms. Meyer.

EPV

It's been three full weeks since Bella first slept. Jasper needs to hunt on a daily basis these days and Alice spends every moment she can split between Bella and Jasper. Thankfully, Bella only seems to need Jasper's assistance at night, but during the day, when she drifts off into a light nap, she doesn't dream, she only rests. Both Carlisle and I are thankful that she is able to get all the rest she does, it is helping to speed her recovery along nicely.

As of two days ago, Bella has been allowed out of bed. The only times I am not with her myself are when I need to hunt or when Esme, Rose, and/or Alice are helping her to change or bathe. Tomorrow Carlisle, Jasper, Alice, Esme and I are going hunting for the day. Emmett and Rose are staying behind to keep Bella company and keep an eye on her.

"Edward?" I hear Alice call to me.

"I'm in here." I respond. I've been sitting here at the piano writing a melody that has been playing through my mind for two full weeks now. Bella is the inspiration, it comes to me in pieces while I watch her sleep at night.

I smile to myself as I remember when she woke up the other morning and told me that if it were any one else in any other circumstance, she would find my watching her creepy.

"What are you chuckling about?" Alice asks me as she enters the room.

"Just something Bella said to me the other day." I answer.

"We'll be leaving shortly. Carlisle wanted me to see if you wanted to wait until Bella wakes, or if you'd rather…"

"No, I'd prefer to wait. I think she would prefer it too. She would want both of us to be there. She's confided in me that she's thinks she feels as if you are her sister. She's not sure how that's supposed to feel, exactly, but…"

The smile and complete elation in her mind told me this was quite possibly the happiest moment of her life, next to marrying Jasper that is.

"Some one's extra happy right now." Jasper said as he entered the room, looking between Alice and me.

"Bella thinks…of me….as a…SISTER!" Alice exclaimed to Jasper as she ran off to find Bella.

"Well, that will certainly liven up this trip." Jasper chuckled on his way out the door.

It certainly will, I thought to myself as I make my way back to the piano.

BPV

As I slowly moved my legs over the side of the bed and placed my feet on the floor, the only thing on my mind is the large tub I was going to fill with hot water and soak in. Just as I push myself off the bed into a full standing position, the door slams open and my legs give out on me with the shock. For the briefest of moments, I expect to see Charlie come storming through the door, but I am hardly surprised to find Alice dancing through it instead.

"Bella?" She asks as she sees the bed empty. Then she looks down and sees me on the floor. As she makes her way to me, she smiles at me.

"Does that hurt?" I ask her.

"Does what hurt?" she responds.

"When you smile that huge. It must hurt." I say to her.

"Not at all! First of all, pain is something that we don't feel. Second of all…" She laughed while helping me up and start toward the bathroom. "Oh, this will just go faster if I just…" and she picks me up and carries me the rest of the way.

"Second of all?" I prompt.

She begins the bath water and I test it to let her know it's perfect. I start to take my clothes off, and Alice helps me.

"And second of all, I feel the same about you, Bella. Edward told me." Alice said.

"You think of me as a sister too?" I asked in shock.

"Oh, Bella!" Alice hugged me.

"Alice, you are going to crush her and put her back in the state she was in three weeks ago." I hear from the doorway and turn to see Rosalie smirking.

"Rose," I begin. "I just want you to know, I feel the same way about you. I've never known what it's like to be or have a sister, but…" I couldn't finish.

"Bella. Of course we think of you as our sister too." Rosalie said. "Now, why don't we get you washed up?"

"Thanks." I replied.

EPV

It was getting to be time to go so I made my way up to Bella's room. I can hear Rose and Alice already in there and then I hear the splash of water.

To hear Bella openly confess to both of my sisters her feelings towards them brings a swell of joy to me. She is finally starting to come out of her shell and begin to speak without prompting. Perhaps, soon, she'll even consider beginning a conversation on her own.

"Edward, you can come in now." I hear Alice call, mostly for Bella's benefit. We've been trying not to have silent conversations around Bella so she gets used to being included in the family.

I open the door and cross into the room. Rose and Alice have Bella sitting on the end of the bed while they were drying and combing out her hair.

"It's almost time to leave Alice. Are you almost ready?" I ask.

"Almost. Bella, we'll only be gone for the day. We'll all be home tonight before you go to bed." Alice said.

The look of sadness and longing on Bella's face as Alice explained to her the events of the day is enough to break any one's heart.

"Bella, I promise, we will ALL be home before you even consider going to bed tonight. Rose and Emmett are going to stay with you today, you won't be alone." I say as I make my way to her.

"Do you promise?" She asks us.

"Of course Bella."

"None you will get hurt will you?" She asks.

"Bella, I told you before, we don't feel pain." Alice says to her.

"Just because you don't feel it, doesn't mean you aren't hurt." Bella mumbled. I think, she forgot for a moment that our hearing is enhanced.

"Bella, I promise, none of us will be hurt today." I tell her. "Alice?"

"I promise too."

"As do I." Carlisle says from the door.

"Me too." Jasper says from behind him.

"And me." Esme interjects from behind them both.

"Edward," Carlisle says silently to me. "It's natural for her to want to make sure we won't be hurt, after all she's been through…"

I look to the ceiling and then to the floor to let Carlisle know I'd heard what he's said.

"All right then, time to go." Carlisle informs us.

As we move to leave the room, Emmett walks in.

"Oh! I almost forgot." Alice says as she runs out of the room.

"What did she forget?" Bella asks.

"Bella, these are for you, to keep you occupied." Alice told her, handing her a box with items in it.

Bella placed the box on the bed and began pulling out the contents, examining each one before placing them gently on the bed next to her.

Alice had outdone herself, laid out on the bed for Bella to inspect, were a book of Jane Austin's works, an iPod (already completely loaded with music Alice had already seen Bella enjoying), a digital camera, and lastly a journal and pen.

"What…what's all of this for?" Bella asked quietly. The look of shock and awe on her face undeniable.

"Haven't you ever had your own things?" Emmett asked her.

Words seemed to escape her at the moment so she shook her head in response.

"Well, these are yours, Bella." Alice explained to her. "The camera is so you can start to document your new life, the iPod is for listening to when you just want to drown everything else out, and trust me, around here, that will probably happen a lot. I've seen your school records, so I know you are quite advanced in your English lit classes, so I have a feeling you'll quiet enjoy Jane Austin, and the journal, well, that's for writing in when you don't think you want others to know what's on your mind. You'll find a lap top on the desk by the window so you can update your iPod later if you'd like."

Bella opened her mouth to respond and instead she hugged Alice with everything she had in her. The pure astonishment on every one's faces and in the minds was staggering for me. Alice tentatively put her arms around Bella and rubbed her back soothingly as Bella began to cry.

"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me." Bella whispered.

"Well, if this is the kind of reaction you're going to have every time you get something, I think we're all going to end up spoiling you rotten!" Emmett laughed.

"All right every one. It's time we get going now. Bella, we will be home tonight, just after dinner. And I promise, none of us will be harmed." Carlisle says, motioning us all to leave.

Bella nodded and we all filed out of the room, making our way to the front door.

Once to the front door, where Emmett and Rose had followed to say good bye, Carlisle turned around to address them.

"Try not to let her over exert herself today. Keep her occupied and calm and…"

"Carlisle," Rose interrupted, "We know. I think Emmett and I are going to get her out into the yard today, let her get some sun."

"Not too much sun. And make sure she eats." Carlisle instructed.

With that, we all left to the cars to head out.

BPV

As the cars pull out of the driveway, I slowly make my way down the hall. I am about to grab onto the railing to head down stairs when Rosalie comes up.

"Where do you think you are going?" She asks me with her eyebrows raised.

"I'm a little hungry. I was going to make myself something to eat. Is that alright?" I ask.

"Bella, you don't need permission to eat. You know that." She informs me as she picks me up and carries me to the kitchen.

"What would the human like to eat today?" Emmett asks when Rosalie puts me down in one of the chairs.

"A bowl of cereal would be fine, thanks." I respond.

"While you are eating, I'll get a hammock and blanket set up for you out back. I've got some work to do in the garage, but Emmett is going to stay with you." Rosalie says.

"Okay." I answer.

"So kid, what would you like to do today? Obviously tossing a football around or a Frisbee is out, but we could get started on some picture taking, or you could start your book, listen to whatever Alice put onto that iPod of yours." Emmett suggested.

"Okay." I respond and smile. It all sounded like fun. I wish I could be better company for Emmett. It's obvious that he likes to be up and around playing and having fun.

I finished up my cereal and they let me make my way outside on my own. It was nice. Carlisle said that I should start working my muscles and getting them back up to par. Usually, though, around this house, they get slightly impatient with me and just pick me up and carry me because they can move so much faster than I can. Most of the time, I don't mind, but days like today when I have the whole day to get from one end of a room to the other, I'd rather do it myself.

Rose was in front of me leading the way, and Emmett behind me, prepared to catch me if my legs give out, which, they do, frequently. It takes time to build the muscles back up, and I have to be patient, at least that's what Carlisle and Edward tell me. Edward generally lets me try to get around on my own, holding my arm for support. Carlisle has me walk around in intervals for an hour or two each day, part of my recovery. He says I'll be up and running before I know it. The thought makes me smile slightly.

We get out the door and onto the patio, but then there are the steps leading down to the yard. If there were a railing for me to hang on to, I wouldn't be so nervous.

"Emmett, um, would you mind?" I ask indicating the stairs.

"Not at all. How about, I hold onto you and you try and make it down?" He suggests.

I agree, and after two steps, it's all I can do to hold myself up. Emmett, realizing this, picks me up and carries me the rest of the way down, placing me gently back on my feet once we reach the bottom and are in the soft grass. The moment he let's go, however, my legs give out on me completely.

"Sorry," Emmett says while stifling some laughter and picking me back up again. With Emmett supporting the majority of my weight, we made our way over to the hammock that Rose had set up while I was eating. She had also placed a small table with my book, my iPod, camera and laptop next to the hammock. A light blanket was also there, in case I get chilled when the sun goes behind the clouds.

The afternoon progressed peacefully. It seems Emmett doesn't always need to be active, at times he likes to just lie back and soak up the sun peacefully. While he lay there with his eyes closed, looking quite relaxed, I decided to get a couple pictures of him. After a while, I lay back and closed my eyes and dozed for a bit, but always conscious enough to hear what was happening around me.

"Emmett?" I asked after an hour of lying peacefully.

"Hmmm?" He asked, his eyes still closed and hands clasped behind his head.

"Can you help me to the garage? I want to get a couple pictures of Rosalie."

"Sure."

"I don't want her to know we're there though, if that's okay?"

"Of course." He said picking me up.

I got my pictures and he put me back on the hammock, but I asked him to put me on the ground. I spread the blanket out and lay there with my book and asked Emmett to show me how to operate the iPod. When I was all set, I settled back started reading.

About 200 pages into Pride and Prejudice, I decided to stretch my legs. I notice Emmett stand up just behind me and figure he's going to follow me to make sure I don't need help and then start towards the edge of the yard. There are some pretty wild flowers there that I would love to pick and give to Esme when she returns tonight.

EPV

I was just starting to stalk the female mountain lion whose scent I'd picked up on when I heard Alice.

"NOOOOO!!!!" She screamed.

I took off in her direction and when I arrived, I was horrified to see her on the ground, her head clutched in her hands, shaking and inconsolable. Jasper looked to be sick, if he could be, Alice's emotions were out of control, as was her mind. I tried to find out what had set her off, but there was just too much chaos to make it out.

"No, Bella, please, go back." Alice whispered as if Bella could actually hear her.

"Alice? What is it, what do you see?" Carlisle asked calmly. Calm, that's what Alice needs more than anything right now. When her visions hit her this violently, it takes almost everything Jasper has to calm her back down, and this time was no different.

"It's happening. Carlisle, it's happening RIGHT NOW!" Alice screamed.

Without another word, I turned and started running home.

BPV

I leaned down to pick some more flowers when I saw a shoe in the grass in front of me. I stood up slowly. I start to pull the ear buds out and scold Emmett for scaring me when I realize, too late, that it's not Emmett.

Standing before me is none other than Phil, my nightmares incarnate. I freeze in fear and shock. I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. I begin to back up, but my legs give out and I fall, my eyes never leaving his. Something has changed about him since I last saw him though.

I realize too late, as he's lifting me by my throat and slamming me into a tree, it's his eyes. They are now a startling shade of crimson.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." He taunts. "I've waited so long to see you again. I see you've forgotten some of our rules though. And you are looking unusually healthy these days. Have you been eating? You know that's not allowed unless I give you permission, and I haven't been around to give you permission, now have I?"

When I don't respond, he lifts me higher so my feet no longer touch the ground. I drop the flowers I had been picking and place my hands on his wrist, which is squeezing my throat.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME?!" He roars so loudly my ears hurt.

He throws me to the ground and I land about eight feet away from him. I feel a familiar snap in my arm and know immediately that it's broken. It feels as if his hand is still around my throat for all the air that I can get in. I begin to shake uncontrollably as I see him advancing toward me. The only thing I can think is 'please kill me quickly.'

I turn my head to search for Emmett and see him fighting with another man whom I've never seen before and Rosalie is holding off a red haired woman. I turn my head back, just in time to see Phil lift his leg and stomp on mine. The scream that I let lose is enough to make everyone stop and look in my direction. The look of fear on both Rosalie and Emmett's faces is enough to make my own fear increase exponentially.

Phil picks me back up by the throat again, and I hear a smack. I realize a moment later as my vision swims before my eyes, that he has smacked me across the face.

"You scream? Did I give you permission to scream? I should…"

"Put her down." I hear. I recognize Edward's voice but I can't turn my head with the strength of Phil's grip. I place my hands on his wrists again, and again the fury with which he looks at me grips me with fear. He throws me away from Edward's direction and I land against a tree. I don't try to stand up again.

"Oh Bella." I hear from somewhere nearby. "Carlisle, here, quickly!" Esme yells.

I can hear growling and fighting. I hear a scream and some snarls, then a crash.

"MOVE, NOW!" Some one shouts, and I feel myself being lifted.

I let out a moan of pain and close my eyes as everything begins to swirl.

"Bella, no, I need you to keep your eyes open." Some one tells me. "Come on Bella, open your eyes for me."

"Carlisle?" I know that voice.

"Edward."

"How is she?"

"I need her to open her eyes for me. Talk to her Edward, get her to open her eyes and look at you. Get her to focus on me, on you, on anything."

EPV

"Bella? Bella can you hear me?" I call to her. Taking her hand I stroke some hair out of her face. "Come on Bella, I need you to open your eyes and look at me."

Bella moaned again, presumably in pain. We got her out of range of the tree that had fallen, and Carlisle motioned for us to stop.

"Put her down here Jasper." He instructed. "Edward, keep trying. She can't slip into unconsciousness. Alice, run to the house and get my bag. Emmett, Emmett?"

Looking around, we see Emmett and Rose emerging from the tree line.

"They got away from us. I'm so sorry Ed. I shouldn't have left her." Emmett said.

"What happened exactly? Start from the beginning." Esme told him.

"I don't know exactly. I heard something in the trees. I told Bella to stay put so I could see her, I didn't realize she had the iPod on. I didn't know she didn't hear me."

"Emmett, slow down. What happened? Other than her not hearing you." Carlisle asked.

"There were two of them just beyond the tree line. A male and a female. I turned back to see if Bella was okay, and she was heading straight for the third."

"I heard Emmett yell and came running. The female came straight at me, and I watched the male go for Emmett. Bella was rooted to her spot staring straight up and the other male was taunting her. I don't know what happened after that. I tried to get to her, but the female got between us." Rosalie interjected.

As I bent back over Bella, I watched the events unfold in their minds. I knew immediately nothing was either of their faults. "Rose, Emmett, stop, it's not your fault, you were trying to protect her." I told them. "Bella, we're all here, we need you to open your eyes." I called to her again.

"Edward, physically open her eye and get in her face so she sees you." Alice said to me.

I gave her a questioning look, but then do as I'm told. I put my face inches from Bella's and then open her eyes. At first she fights me, but then her eyes begin to focus on my face.

"Ed…ward?" She asks softly.

"That's right Bella. We need you to keep your eyes open for a little while. Do you think you can do that for me?" Carlisle asks her.

The only response Carlisle received was Bella closing her eyes tight and moaning in pain.

"Bella, I need you to tell me what hurts." Carlisle said to her.

"Well, that's a bit obvious, don't you think? I mean her leg and her arm aren't exactly sitting at the right angles, are they?" Rosalie said angrily.

"Those are plain to see, yes Rose, but I need to hear from Bella what hurts the most. Besides, now that the breaks have occurred, her arm and leg should only hurt if some one moves them. Bella, what hurts?" Carlisle turned back to work on Bella.

"Here's your bag, Carlisle." Alice said as she returned with the bag in her hands.

"Thank you Alice."

"Bella?" I asked. "Can you tell us?"

"My throat hurts, and it hurts to breathe." She replied in a hoarse whisper.

"Anything else?" I asked her.

"My head."

"Where on your head Bella?" Carlisle asked.

Bella tried to sit up to show Carlisle, and immediately started screaming in pain. She stopped screaming abruptly and began to fall backwards. I caught her just before her head could hit the ground again. Her breathing ragged and her blood pressure much too high, I picked her up in my arms and ran her into the house, the family quick on my heels.

"Put her down on the bed Edward." Carlisle instructed me.

"Is there anything we can do?" Emmett asked from the doorway with Rosalie pressed to him, her head tucked under his chin.

"Yes." I said. "You can come in and hold Bella's hand and keep her reassured that she's in good hands."

"But," Rosalie started.

"No buts. She'd want you here and she wouldn't blame either of you. I don't. I saw what happened through Emmett's mind and then your's Rose. You did everything you could, both of you. If neither of you had been there, there's no telling what those three would have done to her." I reassured them.

Emmett and Rose both entered the room and sat at Bella's side while Carlisle got to work bracing Bella's leg and I took care of her arm.

Esme entered a moment later with fresh gel packs for Bella's throat and head. Carlisle, finishing with her leg, injected morphine into Bella's uninjured arm.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked him.

"It will help with the pain so she can rest. Keep an eye on her and call me the moment she wakes up. I'm going to keep her pretty heavily sedated for the next few days until the swelling goes down at least." Carlisle told us as he was leaving the room.

"I really am so sorry Ed." Emmett told me again.

"It's okay. She didn't hear you Emmett. This isn't your fault, and it certainly isn't Bella's." I assured him with as much sincerity as I could.

"I should have been with them, I shouldn't have left either of them." Rosalie thought to herself.

"This isn't your fault either Rose. Who would have thought any one would be stupid enough to think they could take Emmett on?" I asked with a smile to let her know I didn't blame her.

Just then, Alice came in with Bella's things from the yard. She hooked the camera up and uploaded the pictures onto Bella's lap top and began smiling. "Look at these!" She said bringing the lap top to us to see.

There were only a few pictures, but you could tell she had chosen the perfect moments. The first was of Emmett laying in the grass, completely at peace with his eyes closed soaking up the sun's warmth. The next was of Emmett picking a flower, the following was of Emmett in the foreground watching his wife in awe. The love on his face more than evident for all the world to see. The fourth was of Rosalie standing bent over the engine of one of the cars, however from the angle, you couldn't tell which one. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that would have been the point. The second to last picture was of Rosalie discovering she had an audience and the look on her face was absolutely priceless, especially with the grease marks. The final shot was of Emmett handing Rosalie the flower he had picked for her. Her face had softened immediately and her smile of love for her husband made me smile.

I looked back to Bella's sleeping form wondering how some one so perfect and wonderful could have happened to come into my life.

As I was watching her, Bella opened her eyes. "I'll get Carlisle." Alice said quietly and quickly left. It hadn't even been two full hours and for some reason she was waking up.

"Edward?" Bella asked.

"Yes Bella."

"I feel…not right." She said with a frown, as if she knew what she wanted to say, but not how to say it.

"I know Bella. You have a lot of drugs in your system right now to keep the pain away." I told her.

"Why?" She asked.

"I'm sure the reason you don't remember right now is because of the drugs. Try to go back to sleep, everything will make more sense after you sleep." I said to her.

"I don't want to sleep. Please don't make me sleep." Bella begged me.

"Why don't you want to sleep Bella?" Emmett asked.

"I don't want to have any more nightmares." She said quietly.

Carlisle came back into the room then. "Bella. I know you don't want to have nightmares," he said soothingly, "but I need you to rest so that you can start to get better. You're going to have a long road ahead of you this time."

"Why?" Bella asked again.

"Why what?" Carlisle responded.

"Why do I have a long road ahead of me?" She asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Sleep now Bella. We'll explain it all to you later." Carlisle said to her. 

Jasper came into the room then and put Bella into a deep state of calm. Her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing became slow and slightly labored due to her broken ribs.

"She'll be out for a few days I think." Carlisle told us. "I have to go and call the school and let them know there's been a set back in Bella's recovery. Does any one know who those three were?"

"Bella knew the one that got to her. He was taunting her, saying things like he hadn't given her his permission and she knew the rules. It wasn't Charlie though." Rosalie answered.

"Phil." Alice gasped.

"He wasn't human though. His eyes were red." Said Emmett.

"That's the only person I can think of that Bella would be that afraid of. The only question now is, how did he find her?" I asked.

"I'm going to call the school now and go to the hospital to restock on supplies that we are going to need here. Jasper, she'll be deep enough in sleep now, I don't think she'll be needing your assistance, why don't you go for a quick hunt, Alice, you go with him." Carlisle instructed.

Jasper left, followed by Alice. Emmett and Rosalie got comfortable on the loveseat in the corner and never took their eyes off Bella. I stayed where sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Bella's hand and stroking her hair, waiting for her to open her eyes again.


	10. Author's Note, sorry

**A/N**

I know how much every one hates A/N's, and I promise to make as few as possible, but I just wanted to let you know, I've finally decided on a title for this story. I want to thank every one who's offered up suggestions and ideas. You all really gave me A LOT to think about and consider.

A New Life is the official title!

Please continue to read and enjoy!!


	11. Chapter 10

Still don't own it. And while HUMAN Phil is Ms. Meyer's, I'm taking credit for VAMPIRE Phil. I think I'm allowed to do that, I hope, if not, oh well….lol.

EPV

I stayed by Bella's side for four days sixteen hours and forty eight minutes. Rosalie and Emmett didn't leave either. Alice and Jasper came in every few hours to check on Bella and the three of us. Jasper on occasion would make sure Bella was getting peaceful sleep. Carlisle checked on Bella every few hours, and Esme worried over all of us.

Emmett and Rose came to the side of Bella's bed when she began to stir slightly.

"Bella?" I called to her.

"I'll get Carlisle." Rosalie volunteered.

"Bella, can you hear me?" I asked her.

I didn't get a response and began to worry that she was having a nightmare.

"Bella, open your eyes, please." Emmett pleaded with her. No matter how much I assured him that this was not his fault, the guilt he felt did not lessen any.

"I think she's trying Ed, look." He told me.

Sure enough, I could see Bella fighting her heavy eye lids.

"Bella, there are still a lot of drugs in your system, it's going to be difficult." I told her. This, however, did nothing to make her stop trying to open her eyes. If anything, it seemed to have made her try even harder.

"Carlisle is on his way home now. He said fifteen minutes." Rosalie informed us as she came back through the door. "And he said to wipe her eyes with a cold wet cloth, it should help." She said, handing me the cloth.

I gently wiped Bella's eyes and it did seem to help. She opened her eyes half way and seemed to be trying to open them the rest of the way.

"Don't fight it, Bella. If you feel like you are going to go back to sleep, let yourself." I told her gently.

"I'm not tired though." She said, her words slurred slightly by the remaining drugs in her system.

Emmett chuckled from beside me. "We know, but even still, don't fight it anyway." He said to her.

Emmett, Rosalie and I turned to the door when we heard it open. Jasper walked in, followed by Alice. Every one stiffened at once when the smell of fresh blood took over the room.

I turned back around to see Bella holding her side and trying to stifle herself from crying. 

"Bella?" I asked. "Every one, out, NOW!" I ordered.

Once every one was safely out of the room and away from the scent of Bella's blood, I took Bella's face in my hands and gently stroked her temples trying to calm her down.

"I need to see Bella." I told her. 

She shook her head at me, and then stopped and put the heel of her hand to her forehead, a moan escaping her lips.

"That made you dizzy?" I asked.

"And it hurts now too." She replied.

"Bella, this is going to hurt, but I need to know where you are bleeding from." I said, as I started to pull the covers back.

"It's my back I think." She whispered. "And my side." She said, holding out her now red hand.

I immediately held my breath when I saw the fresh blood. Pulling her shirt up to examine her side, I could see the stitches hand been pulled and the gash in her side had come open again.

"If you think it's your back too, I'm going to have to sit you up. We'll go as slowly as you need to." I told her.

She shook her head again, though less vigorously this time. "Please, don't, I don't want you to see." She breathed.

"Bella, I can't help you if you don't let me see. Carlisle won't be here for another ten minutes, and I don't think you are well enough to be losing this much blood. Please. I promise, seeing, again, will not make me think any less of you."

She gasped when I said again. She'd forgotten that I'd seen it twice already, once when helping Carlisle, and then again in Alice's vision.

"You'd forgotten that I'd already seen?" I asked her.

"Yes." She answered so quietly, I almost missed it, even with my hearing.

I gently pulled on her good arm, and supported as much of her weight as she, or the bed, would allow. We went incredibly slow and had to stop every couple of inches as Bella's ribs adjusted to the movement. By the time she was sitting upright, Carlisle walked through the door.

"Edward, hold her shirt up." He instructed.

Doing as I was told, I looked at the damage done to Bella's back. Most of her scars were scabbed over, almost healed, however a few of them were wide open and gushing now.

"How, I don't understand Carlisle. These weren't open wounds when we got her up here."

"I don't know." Carlisle responded. He spread an ointment over the open wounds, Bella stiffening every few seconds, and letting a few moans out as well.

"Bella, you don't have to hold it in anymore, remember that." Carlisle told her.

As if his words broke a damn open, Bella began to cry. I held her against me while Carlisle worked and supported her weight so her ribs wouldn't hurt as much. Once Carlisle was done, he gave me instructions silently and I continued to sit, holding Bella as she cried while Carlisle left.

"Make sure she gets more rest, and that she eats. Don't let her sleep for long periods at a time, her concussion is still pretty severe. Try to get her talking, but keep her as calm as you can." He said to me.

Alice walked in and said a quick hello to Carlisle as they passed each other. In her arms a comfortable looking shirt and pair of pants. "I can't get you into the shower or anything, but I can get that blood cleaned up and get you into some fresh clothes. How does that sound?" Alice asked her.

"And I'll help too, if you'd like." Rosalie said from the doorway.

"Yes, please." Bella whispered.

I carefully picked her up from the bed and placed her in the bathroom for Alice and Rosalie. I then got fresh linens and changed the sheets on the bed.

"She's in so much pain, Edward. I'm almost afraid to touch her." Alice thought to me. "How did her scars open up anyway?"

"I have no idea." I thought back. "And she wasn't moving around, so there is no good reason for the stitches to have split open on her side either. Alice, I need to know, have you seen anything?"

"No, and that's troubling for me. I've been trying, but it's like everything surrounding her is fuzzy." She responded.

"I'm sorry Bella, I'll be back in a few minutes." I turned to see Rosalie saying as she headed for the door. She turned to me on her way out. "It's just a little too much, I need some fresh air." She explained to me as she passed.

I smiled to let her know it is alright and she ducked her head, slightly ashamed of her inability to handle the scent of Bella's intoxicating blood. I could feel venom pooling in my mouth the more I thought about it and forced myself to think of something, anything, else.

"Alice?" I called from the room, mostly for Bella's benefit.

"Yes?" She responded.

"Are you going to be much longer?"

"A bit. Why don't you go and get some food for Bella. I'm sure that she's hungry by now."

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

As I was leaving the room, I heard a gasp. Not sure who it had come from, I tuned to Alice's thoughts. "I'm being as gentle as I can be. Maybe I should just fill the tub and let her soak and then have Carlisle reapply that ointment. Damnit all, I don't know what to do!"

"Alice," I thought to her. "I'll talk to Carlisle and see if it's okay to let her soak. I know you're doing all you can to be gentle, it's not your fault. Those bruises and injuries are bone deep, there's not much that can be done to avoid aggravating them. Try not to feel so guilty or I'm sending Jasper in."

"I can't help it. I think just looking at her makes her hurt, Edward. And I know it shouldn't be possible, but I'm not seeing things, more of her scars on her back have opened up. It's like an invisible knife is slicing the skin back open. I don't know what to do."

"I'm going to find Carlisle. Just keep her as calm as you can."

"Shouldn't be too hard. We're taking a break."

I searched the house for Carlisle, finding him in his room with Esme. I knocked gently and heard Esme call me in.

"How is she doing Edward?" She asked me.

"I'm not sure, actually. Carlisle, Alice said that more of her old scars are opening. She described it as an invisible knife slicing the skin back open. And she wasn't moving when her stitches split. There was no reason for that to have happened."

"No, there isn't." He agreed.

"Also, Alice is wondering if she can't let Bella soak in the tub for a bit. It's causing too much pain for Alice to apply a wet cloth and drag it over Bella's skin. If the water is just right, it will be much less painful, and then Alice will just have to pour water over Bella's head to wash her hair."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Let me know when she's finished and I'll come and reapply the ointment and redo the bandages."

"Okay. Thanks. Sorry to have interrupted."

"Not at all, Edward. I've never seen this family rally around one person so strongly. It's like she is the piece that's been missing, completing us." Esme mused.

"I'm going to go and make Bella something to eat. I'm also going to go and check on Rose. Bella's blood got to be a bit much for her."

"I'll go. You get the food for Bella." Esme offered.

I nodded my assent then headed for the kitchen, passing Bella's room on the way. I stuck my head in to let Alice know that Carlisle said a bath would be fine and to make sure the water was comfortable for Bella, and reminded her to be gentle while washing her hair.

As I was looking through the refrigerator, Rosalie came into the kitchen.

"Edward, I'm so sorry. Her blood, there was just so much, and it smells so appetizing. I knew if I didn't get out of there…" She trailed off.

"Rose, it's okay. I know exactly what you mean. For some reason, it's even more appealing to me than it is to the rest of you."

"How do you do it? How do you handle it? If it was that strong for me, and you say it's even stronger for you, I mean, I was envisioning ways of getting her alone, away from all of you."

"I know. I just hold my breath, and remember that the feelings I have for her outweigh the desire to have her blood."

"You love her, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"I think I may. I'm not going to push it though. She's been through so much already, and she may never feel anything more for me than a friendship. I can live with that, but I'm not about to tell her something like this so soon. She needs to get herself better, and concentrate on learning to trust before I even consider telling her how I feel."

"You'll have to tell her eventually, especially if she's going to be staying here with us, living here with us. She's very intuitive, very smart. If you don't just tell her at some point, she will figure it out on her own."

"I know, I've seen. It doesn't change anything though. She needs to learn how to trust people first, Rose, like you had to learn how to trust again. The situations may be dissimilar, but the end result was the same."

"It's hardly the same. I was naïve and I already trusted people. I accepted that I'd trusted the wrong people the moment everything…Well, I knew that I could trust other people. This situation is completely different. She's never been able to trust any one. She's never had any one even attempt to show her compassion, until you came along that is. Gah! And then I start off by reacting to her the way that I did! I swear though, I'm trying to make it up to her."

"I know. I think she either doesn't remember, or she's so used to people reacting to her that way that she's already past it. Just…keep trying with her. She doesn't hate you, actually, she wonders if you still hate her." I chuckled.

"I never hated her to begin with." She defended.

"Rose, Jasper was there."

"I know, I know, but he misinterpreted it. The hate wasn't directed at her specifically…just…."

"I know. No one can blame you for that. No one at all. You are being a very good sister Rose, both to me and to Bella. Once she comes to understand how a family should be, she'll recognize this in you too. In the mean time, however, I need to get this food up to her before she starves."

I tuned back to Alice's mind just as I was heading back up the stairs. Her mind was frantic with worry. This was not the way she was when I left not moments ago. Something had happened, her mind was just too chaotic to focus on it.

"Bella!" She yelled. "Carlisle! Carlise, get in here, please!" Alice was pleading as she called for Carlisle.

Rosalie came up behind me and took the tray. "Go, I'll put this in her room and find Emmett. He'll want to know what happened. He, we, both feel responsible for her being in this condition. If we'd been paying better attention, if I'd stayed with them both…"

"It's not your fault, I've told you this. We all knew this was coming, Alice saw it weeks ago. It was inevitable, no decisions you or any one else made could have changed that. Besides, you being in the garage probably saved her life. You had the element of surprise at that point, they were hardly expecting you."

"I know, I know. It doesn't make the feeling go away though."

"Let's just see what we can do now, in this instance, and continue to be there for her, helping however we can." I tried to comfort her.

I then took off up the stairs arriving before Carlisle could to find Alice pulling a sheet around Bella's still form. Blood was already soaking through it and Bella was a shade paler than her norm.

"What happened?" I asked just as Carlisle came in behind me, his voice echoing mine.

"I don't know. She was okay for a few moments, the water was perfect and she was starting to relax a little. Then out of nowhere she started to make a hissing sound, and I realized it's the sound a person makes when something stings. Then the water, it started to turn red, there was so much blood, even holding my breath I could taste it. God, I wanted it, and there's so much and it's still…"

"Alice, I need you to please leave, go outside, get some fresh air, hunt, just back away from Bella slowly, please." Carlisle coaxed.

I could see the look in Alice's eyes. In her mind, she was contemplating if she had enough time to get a taste before we would be able to pull her out.

"Alice, think. It's Bella, your sister." I pleaded as I slowly eased toward them, Bella still cradled in Alice's arms on the floor. "She's a part of this family, we don't hurt family." I said as I reached down and started to ease Bella into my own arms.

Instinctively, Alice's grip tightened around Bella, a predator that had caught it's prey. "Alice, think. It's Bella, you love her." I reminded.

Alice looked down into Bella's face. Her arms relaxed slightly, not enough that I could take Bella from her though.

"Alice, I need to see what happened." Carlisle said gently. "You need to let go, so Edward can get her to the bed so I can see."

I could see the war raging in my sister's mind. She was trying to beat back the monster within, trying to come to her senses.

"Alice," I heard Rosalie call from the door. 'Please don't hate me for this.' She thought. "Alice, what would Jasper think?"

'She won't hate you Rose, she'll thank you later.' I thought to her.

That was what we needed to get her to let go. I quickly gathered Bella and took her to back to the bed where Carlisle immediately got to work. I stepped back to give him room and went to help Rosalie deal with Alice. I silently called for Jasper as well.

"It's okay, you didn't hurt her." Rosalie was saying.

"Do you think that matters? What about the next time? You don't know how close I came Rose!"

"I do, you wouldn't have hurt her Alice." I said.

"How do you know? I'm the psychic here." She accused.

"Because, I was in your head, Alice. I heard you reasoning with yourself. You were already handing her to me, you just didn't realize it. I'm so proud of you. You resisted the worst of temptations. You are going to make an excellent sister for Bella." I comforted her.

Alice put her head in her hands and began to sob. Her shoulders slumping forward, and then she pitched forward and her arms dropped as she hugged herself around the middle. I sat down and took her into my arms and held her.

'Where is Jasper?' I asked Rosalie.

'I don't know. I haven't seen him all day. I'll go and call him let him know what happened.' 

'Thanks. And tell him to hurry. Tell him his wife needs him.'

Rosalie nodded to me as she swiftly left. I turned my attention back to Alice who was shaking in my arms with the force of her sobs. Though no tears fell from her eyes, the purple "bruises", as Bella had called them, became darker and more pronounced. I held Alice's head to my chest as she cried, and ran my free hand over her back in an attempt to comfort her. As she slowly calmed down in my arms, I lifted her, cradling her in my arms, and carried her to her own bedroom, meeting Jasper half way.

'Rose told me everything. Is she okay?' Jasper asked me silently, worry and fear coating his thoughts.

'She will be. Right now, she just needs to calm down. After that, she needs to hunt. I won't lie, Jasper, she came very close. She was fine until she was telling us what happened and she had to concentrate on the blood. We talked her back out of it, but her resolve was shaken, her faith in her own resistance was shattered. She's starting to shut herself down, she's not thinking anything right now except about what she almost did.'

"Alice, Love?" Jasper asked her as we entered their room.

Jasper pointed to the bed, and as I started to put her down, she clung to my shirt. 

"It's okay Alice, Jasper is here now." I told her gently.

Jasper sat himself down on the edge of the bed and I put Alice directly into his arms. 

"Please, Edward. Tell her how sorry I am, please." Alice begged me.

"Alice, she doesn't even know what happened." I told her. "When Carlisle and I got there, she was out cold. Besides, you know as well as I do that she'd forgive you." 

"Even still. Please, just tell her, for me." She pleaded with me.

I felt an immense calm going through my body. Jasper was already trying to comfort Alice the only way he knew how.

"Alice, it's okay. You never laid a finger on her. Carlisle is seeing to her now. You were so brave, so strong. You've been resisting for some time now. With that much blood, in that small of a space and all that steam, I don't think any of the others or myself could have resisted, yet you did." Jasper soothed.

"It doesn't change what happened." Alice argued.

"What could have happened." I interjected. "Alice, don't you see? You stayed strong even though your instincts tried to take over, you didn't let them. You allowed me to take her from you. What I bet you don't even realize, is that part of the reason you didn't want to hand her over to me, is because you were trying to protect her."

Alice's head shot up and looked me square in the eye. Her eyes held a look of defiance, but behind that, there was hope.

"Alice, I was in your head. Yes, there was a part of you trying to keep your prey for yourself, but there was a bigger part of you that was trying to figure out how to keep her safe from the rest of us and our urges. Don't you see? You were being so much stronger than you even realized." I said, squeezing her hand.

"Come on." Jasper said starting to stand. "Let's go and get some fresh air." Taking Alice's hand, he led her from the room.

'Do you promise Edward? Do you promise that's what was happening?' Alice pleaded with me.

"Have I ever lied to you Alice?" I questioned her out loud.

"No, but promise me anyway." She said to me.

"Alice, I swear on my life, you were more worried about how to keep Bella safe." I swore. It was the truth, and it showed in my eyes. The gratitude on Alice's face was all the reassurance I needed that my sister would be okay.

I made my way back to Bella's room, passing the rest of the family as they stood in the hall, all of their faces holding looks of worry, all of their thoughts split between concern for Alice and concern for Bella.

"Alice will be okay, Jasper's taken her out hunting. They'll probably be back some time tomorrow or late tonight." I informed every one. I could see every one visibly relax a little as I entered Bella's room.

Carlisle was standing over the bed, Bella laying on her stomach with her head turned to the side. Behind him, the windows were all open, helping to clear the air of the scent of Bella's blood.

"What can I do to help?" I asked.

"Keep her still. I think she's semi-conscious and every time I apply the ointment and try to cover the wounds, she begins to squirm. I am going to have to re-brace her ribs too when I'm done with this."

I carefully sat on the edge of the bed and held Bella's hand gently in my own. Carlisle had removed the sheet that Alice had placed around Bella, and she now lay naked. I pulled the sheet from the bed up to cover what I could of her.

"I hadn't thought of that, I'm sorry." Carlisle apologized.

"'S okay." Bella mumbled.

"I do need you to keep as still as possible though. This will go much more quickly, and then I'll give you something so you will be able to sleep."

"No, please. I don't want to sleep." Bella replied, panicked. 

"Bella," Carlisle started.

"No, please, you don't understand." Bella pleaded.

"Try to explain it to us then." I said gently.

"When I close my eyes, I see him. I can _feel_ him. His hands as he traces the scars he created, his eyes, his smile, his breath. It's like he's still here, like he can still hurt me. And he's always here," she said tapping her temple. "I can even hear his voice, his whispers. Taunting me, telling me I belong to him, that he'll find me, that he'll take me away again, that I'll never…" she trailed off.

Carlisle had stopped working to listen to what Bella was saying intently, watching her face, her eyes, gauging her responses. "You'll never what, Bella?" He asked her as gently as he could.

Bella shut her eyes and started to take a few ragged breathes. The tears that she'd been fighting began to leak from the corners of her eyes.

"It doesn't matter." She finally said quietly.

"It matters to me." I told her. "Bella, promise me something?"

She opened her eyes, but said nothing.

"Promise me you won't believe anything you hear him whisper to you." I said.

Bella's eyes took on a far away look, and she didn't respond.

'Edward, I don't think she's going to be able to promise you this. You are asking her to go against the only thing she's ever known, until now. I'm worried about how she described everything though. I wonder if this isn't how she received these injuries, or rather, how the scars on her back re-opened. Perhaps, her attacker has an ability?' Carlisle thought.

'It's possible.' I replied. 'I have a feeling I know who her attacker is.' 

"Bella?" I called to her, trying to grab her attention. She eyes shifted their focus and found mine. "Bella, the man who hurt you outside, you know who he is, don't you?"

Bella nodded her head once.

"Bella, was it Phil?" Bella didn't respond this time, just continued to stare at me. "Please, Bella, I need to know. If it's too hard for you to answer, just blink, once for no, twice for yes."

Bella blinked, once, and then a second time, slowly, deliberately.

I put my hand on the back of her head, smoothing out her hair, with my free hand I held her hand, squeezing it gently, reassuring her.

"Thank you." I told her quietly. The confusion playing across her face made me pause. Before I could explain, Carlisle spoke.

"I need to turn you over now Bella, to re-brace your ribs. Then, I believe, Edward prepared some food for you."

I rose to leave, to give Bella some privacy, but Bella just clung to my hand tighter. 

"You don't want me to wait outside?" I asked her as Esme and Rosalie quietly came through the door. In reply, Bella squeezed my hand even tighter. "Alright then, I'll just close my eyes."

Bella allowed her hand to leave mine as Rosalie carefully slipped a top over Bella's head, but she replaced her hand in mine the moment her arm was free. Opening my eyes, I turned to face the bed again, seeing for the first time the damage to Bella's ribcage. The purple and blue that covered almost every square inch of skin brought a growl to my throat, that I managed to suppress so as not to scare her.

Carlisle finished re-bandaging Bella's ribs and then instructed her to eat and rest. She cringed at the idea of resting, but said nothing to object. As I thought about it, Bella hadn't uttered a single sound since she'd told us what she sees when she sleeps.

I turned my head to the tray of food that Rosalie had brought in and placed on the stand by the door. I deliberately faced away from her to ask Bella, "Would you like to have a sandwich?"

Bella did not respond. Carlisle noticing what I was doing, grew concerned. I turned around and faced her, but Bella wasn't looking at me, or at Carlisle, she was staring at the ceiling, though, not focusing on it.

Drawing a ragged breath, she whispered, "Please, stop."


	12. Chapter 11

Still don't own it, no matter how many times I go looking for loopholes in the law. Sigh, oh well, at least I own my own works.

I would like to apologize about the long waits between updates. I have so many ideas in my head (and sticky notes covering my walls and desk) that I can't seem to keep them all straight. I try to stick to one story at a time, and by the time I'm finally finished with this one, the next one will probably be pretty much written (on sticky notes, one sentence at a time that is….lol). Anyway, as I was saying, sometimes my fingers can't keep up with my brain, and sometimes, I get a ton of inspiration, and then lose it out of no where. I kind of write off the cuff, for this story anyway, so trying not to get distracted is becoming more and more difficult. Please bear with me, I promise, it will get done!

We now resume our regularly scheduled programming, already in progress.

Quick recap…

_I turned around and faced her, but Bella wasn't looking at me, or at Carlisle, she was staring at the ceiling, though, not focusing on it. _

_Drawing a ragged breath, she whispered, "Please, stop."_

EPV

"Please stop what Bella?" I asked trying to gather her attention.

"I'm sorry." Bella whispered. "I won't do it again. Please, just stop this."

The pleading in her voice shook me to my very core. In the few moments Bella had been in this state, she had not blinked once, nor had her eyes focused on anything. Upon closer examination, I discovered that they had glossed over, much the way that Alice's eyes do when she had a vision.

All of a sudden, Bella shut her eyes tightly and tried to curl up into a fetal position. It took both Carlisle and I to prevent her from moving, in order to prevent further injury and to keep her from aggravating her current injuries.

After a few more minutes, Bella went completely lax in our grip. Her breathing hitched and tears were coming out of the corners of her eyes which were, again, glazed over and staring at the ceiling as if seeing through it.

I turned my head to the door at the sound of the front door slamming open. I could hear Alice's frantic thoughts, in addition to Jasper's concerned ones.

'Please don't be too late, please, please, please. Edward has to know, this can be stopped, Bella can be helped. If I ever find the person responsible for this…' her thoughts trailed off as she quickly came into the room and stopped before me.

"Alice, how, how can this be stopped?" I implored her.

"There is some one inside her mind, Edward. I think that's why you can't hear her." She explained as calmly as she could the anger in her voice barely contained.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Jasper, visibly holding his breath due to Bella's state.

"Jasper, can you handle this?" I asked him.

"We'll find out." He replied with a shrug as he closed his eyes to concentrate.

I tuned to his thoughts to gauge the room. 'I wish Alice would pick an emotion and stick with it, between her fear and her anger and her concern, I don't know which is the strongest of them. Then, as if that's not enough, everyone else's concern and fear for the girl, and on top of all of that Bell's fear. God, her fear is just about overpowering everything else. I don't understand why I feel such anger and hatred from her though, it's almost as if, as if it's not her own, that isn't possible though, she's not possessed, I don't think….no, this isn't a possession, it's something else, but…Damn, this is almost crippling. I don't know how much more of this I can take.' He thought as he slowly slid his body down the wall to rest on the floor.

Esme, always our mother first, held him in a comforting embrace. I just hoped that it would help alleviate some of the pressure on Jasper.

"Alice, if what you've said is true, then it's possible I can get into Bella's mind, find out what's happening." I said to her hopefully.

"I don't think so. I think the reason you can't get in as it is, is because whoever is already there is taking up too much "occupancy", I suppose you could put it. Anymore and I don't think her mind would be able to handle it. But, what if you try to get into that person's mind, by way of Bella? Do you think you can try that? Wait!" She exclaimed as she closed her eyes and concentrated. "It'll work. Just try to get into this person's mind by using Bella's mind as a backdoor or something. You can NOT linger in Bella's mind until we figure out how to get rid of her "visitor"."

I had to concentrate very hard. I somehow managed to block out all other thoughts in the room, with some difficulty, it was as if they were all shouting at me even if they were only thinking of Bella. I somehow managed to find my way into a minuscule place in her mind that was not occupied by her "visitor", as Alice had put it. I took heed of Alice's warning and did not linger and went straight for the task at hand. I soon discovered that the way to get into this person's mind was to delve into the farthest depths of Bella's mind and allow myself to be absorbed. It was a slow and painful process. I felt as if my own mind was being ripped apart and the harder I concentrated, the faster I realized that it was not my own pain that I was feeling, but Bella's pain.

The moment I realized what was happening, it was if a weight had been lifted from me and I was free to roam unburdened. I did not roam however, I concentrated and found myself in the mind of this visitor. Once I made my way into this person's mind, I focused on what Bella was seeing and feeling. What I saw put a choke hold on my breathing. Memories. Bella's memories. From as far back as she could remember. Her life with Charlie, what brief time she could remember before leaving with her mother. The life her mother and she had together before she met her step-father, there was a brief period of happiness there. The first night she met Phil. The first night she witnessed Phil's true nature, as she helped her mother clean up her cuts. The first time Phil hit Bella, at this I wanted to scream out, to step in and stop him, though there was nothing I could do. The institution of all of Phil's rules, the execution of his punishments, the torment of Bella and her mother, the fear in which they lived each day. All of this I saw as if it were my own memories before me. I watched as Phil murdered Bella's mother, then as Bella herself tried to intervene. I watched Phil as he rounded on Bella, how he beat her and kicked her and screamed at her. I watched as slowly, Bella stopped fighting back, then fall into unconsciousness, then as her life began to ebb away. I saw Phil panic and dial 9-1-1 and then run, but not far. He stayed close enough to see what happened, to hear if Bella came around and told the EMTs anything. I watched the police arrive and enter the house finding Renee and pronouncing her dead at the scene, then as another officer found Bella's still form and checking for a pulse. I saw the fear in his eyes as he yelled to his partner that she was still alive and then turn back as Bella stirred, ever so slightly. "Stay with us, fight, you hear me?!" He yelled to her. I heard Bella's small, exhausted voice say one word, "Mom?" The officer never got a chance to answer as the EMTs ran into the house. They quickly got Bella into the back of the ambulance and drove away. Phil didn't stick around after that.

The perspective changed after that. I was in a car now, following an ambulance at a discrete distance. I heard mumbling and turned my head to see Phil in the driver's seat. "If she says one word I'll…" he trailed off, and similar strings of oaths filled with profanities were mumbled. The scene changed again and I saw Bella laying in a hospital bed, machines and tubes all over her body, as she lay helplessly in the bed in the ICU. I heard a commotion by the nurse's station and turned in time to see Phil making his way to a nearby closet in which to hide. As he peeked around the corner, he saw Charlie storming down the hall yelling at a nurse. "Well, Unhook her and load her into my car and I'll take her home now. Or are you telling me you called me up to come all the way down here just so I could sit and watch her be lazy and sleep?" He sounded outraged at the very idea.

"No, sir. We called you down here because your daughter is lying in that bed fighting for her life and thought she could use the moral support of her only living relative!" The nurse yelled back at him.

Charlie raised his hand as if to strike the woman, but she backed away, and Charlie lowered his arm as a couple of doctors walked by, both stopping within earshot. Charlie stormed away, however, and ordered them to call him again when she could be transported to Forks.

Phil stepped out of his hiding place and snuck into Bella's room then. Every square inch of skin was blue and purple. There was a tube down her throat and a breathing tube under her nose. There were multiple IV bags hung and a mixture of fluids flowing into the IV in her hand. Her right leg was in a cast and propped up on pillows, her left arm in a sling, her right arm in a plaster cast that went up to her elbow. Both of her eyes were blackened and probably swollen shut, dried blood was under her nose. She had bandages on her forehead and jaw, the throat was one large bruise.

Phil sat down next to the bed and leaned in close to Bella's ear. "If I find out you've even hinted at what happened to any one, I swear on your life I will track you down, wherever you end up, and I will finish the job I started. You have _no_ idea what I have thought up to do to you." He threatened.

Even in her drug induced coma, Bella was terrified. Perhaps it was the sound of his voice, or many the words he spoke some how registered in her mind. The heart monitor picked up the rapid beat of her heart, her breathing had become labored and she began to struggle to get air into her lungs. Phil smiled, proud that even in this state, he could hold control over Bella. He left quickly, realizing that the alarms on the machines would send nurses and doctors into the room.

For two more days, Bella was in the ICU. When the doctors decided Bella was no longer in imminent danger, they transferred her to a normal room. Phil wasn't able to stay any longer though, but watched from a distance as Charlie came back to the hospital, playing the concerned parent. Phil knew better than anyone that Charlie was anything but concerned, angry that he got pulled from his life in Forks to baby sit his daughter, whom he cared nothing for, would be the only emotion Charlie would be feeling.

After a week, Charlie loaded Bella, rather forcefully into his rental car and headed toward the airport. Phil watched as they boarded a plane to Forks, then headed off toward the home he'd shared with Renee and Bella. After doing a quick look around, seeing that no police were still around, Phil made his way inside via the back door. Once inside, he moved through the house quickly, collecting clothing and other objects he thought he might need over time. He heard a noise coming from the kitchen and quietly made his way down to investigate. Standing in the entry way between the kitchen and the dining room was a man with light brown hair and burgundy red eyes, his eyes being the only characteristic about him that really stood out. Everything else about him was very nondescript, average almost. The way he moved, it was graceful, yet predatory. Even Phil was hard-pressed not to shake in fear.

"Who are you?" Phil demanded of the intruder.

"My name is James." The man answered in a nonchalant voice. "And to answer your next question, what I'm doing here is of no consequence to you. All you need to know is I can make your quest much easier."

"My quest?" Phil asked.

"Yes. You desire revenge against some one? You fear what this person is going to tell others about you." James replied.

"How did you…" Phil trailed off.

"Because you thought it. Plus, I can smell the rage on you. It's intoxicating, by the way." James answered.

"And just how to you propose to help me?" Phil sneered.

"Wouldn't you rather it be a surprise?" James smiled, then lunged.

Before Phil even had a chance to react, James' teeth were clamping down on Phil's arm, which he'd thrown out unconsciously to protect himself from James. With obvious effort, James pulled away, then threw Phil over his shoulder, grabbed the bag Phil had filled with clothes, and left the way he'd come in through the kitchen. The screaming didn't start for another ten minutes, just long enough to get away from the vicinity of any kind of population that might hear the screams and call for help.

I was suddenly ripped from Phil's mind, and found myself laying on my black leather couch in my room. As my eyes refocused, I saw Carlisle staring out my window. I cleared my throat, which felt parched, and Carlisle turned around quickly, relief flooding his features. _'Oh, thank God.'_ He though.

"What happened? Why am I not with Bella?" I questioned him.

"You were completely unresponsive Edward. I moved you here only moment ago, it seems breaking contact with Bella bought you back here. Your eyes were glazed over and completely black, your posture was rigid and solid, every muscle tensed, you were growling, and as Bella cried out in pain, you did too. Jasper described such anger and fear coming from you Edward. I've never been so afraid for you in all of my existence." Carlisle explained. His voice still sounded strained, worried and relieved at the same time.

"I'm sorry I worried you. How's Bella?"

"She's sleeping a bit easier now. Though, she's still crying and still unresponsive. I gave her a sedative just before I brought you in here. Did you learn anything?"

"I did. But I need to tell every one at once. I'm not sure I could handle having to say everything more than that." I sat up slowly, having to use the back of the couch to pull myself up. I wanted to get back to Bella as quickly as possible.

Carlisle, noticing what I was doing, stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. "Edward, your eyes are pitch black, and she still has open wounds. Besides, you can barely hold yourself up, let alone walk back to that room. Let Rose and Emmett take you hunting, when you aren't a threat to Bella, come back. I promise, I will call if anything changes."

"Anything Carlisle, I don't care if it's just a turning of her head." I implored.

"Of course. I'll get Emmett, just rest a moment." Carlisle urged then left quickly.

Moments later, Emmett and Rosalie were helping me down the stairs, the pace slower than any of us were used to.

"How are you going to hunt if you can barely stand?" Rosalie asked.

"We'll bring it to him to start, then, when he gets a bit of his strength back, he can go after prey on his own." Emmett suggested.

"Works for me. Thank you." I replied sincerely. Emmett helped me into the back of Carlisle's car, closed the door gently, and then quickly got in the driver's seat and we were off.

We didn't go far, but the prey we were after was far enough away that it was about an hour before we arrived at our hunting grounds. After pulling off the road and into a heavily forested area, Emmett pulled the car to a stop, making sure that it would not be seen from the road. Rosalie was at the rear door in an instant and pulling me out. Emmett came around to help her and, leaning on each of them heavily, we made our way into a small clearing where they let me rest against a tree stump.

"We'll find something for you first and bring it back, then, when you're up to it, we'll all head out together, sound good?" Emmett asked.

"Okay." I replied as I closed my eyes and allowed the weight of my body to sag back against the stump.

_'He looks horrible.'_ Rosalie thought. _'I'm not sure it's a good idea to leave him alone like this. He wouldn't be able to defend himself.'_

"Rose, I'll be fine, just be fast." I tried to reassure her.

"You are hardly fine, my brother." Emmett said. "Rose, why don't you stay with him, I'll just go find something quickly and get it back here."

"I like that idea better than just leaving him here alone." Rosalie replied as she sat down next to me. Without opening my eyes, I heard Emmett depart and felt Rose shift closer to me.

"Edward, are you comfortable?"

"Not really, but then, I'm leaning against a tree, not cushions." I smirked. Rose knew I was trying to lighten the mood a little.

I felt her shift slightly, and then she maneuvered my body and laid me down so my head was resting in her lap.

"Better?" She asked.

"Yes, thank you Rose."

"You know, I'm not the cruel, heartless person people think of me as. I do care Edward, about you, about Bella."

"I know Rose." I said and opened my eyes. I put my hand up and directed her head so she was looking me in the eye. "I know how much you care. It shows in your actions. Now, for instance, or when you refused to leave Bella's side after the attack, or how ashamed you were of yourself when her wounds re-opened and you had to leave to get some fresh air. I know you care, we all do, even Bella. And besides, actions speak louder than words." I told her.

Rosalie smiled at me, then went back to scanning the tree line for Emmett, and for any dangers that may lurk there. We say quietly for a bit, me resting, trying to will some strength back into my body, Rosalie keeping me relatively comfortable, being more gentle than I've ever witnessed. Finally after thirty or so minutes, Emmett came back with a mountain lion on his back.

"Your favorite, I do recall." He smiled at me as he placed the cat down on the ground in front of me. The neck had already been snapped, and the body was still warm, which suited me just fine.

My instincts kicked in at this point, and no matter how little strength I had in me, my body lunged for the cat of its own accord. The smell of the blood, the taste of it, the feel of it running down my throat, it was all I could do not to tear into it and try to devour it whole. When I'd finally had all that the cat had to give, I leaned back already feeling some of my strength returning.

"You're already looking better, my brother." Emmett commented.

"You really are Edward." Rosalie stated.

"I'm feeling better. Just give me a moment to collect myself, and then we'll get in a real hunt."

"Take your time Ed. I know you want to get back to Bella, truthfully, we do too, but we all need a little bit of a breather. Rose hasn't left that room except when Bella's blood was free flowing, and after what you went through…you really scared the hell out of all of us."

"Carlisle told me. I don't know what you saw, but the things I saw… I can't imagine how she found a way to cope."

"What did you see?" Rosalie asked.

"When we get back, I'm going to tell everyone at once. As I told Carlisle, I don't think I could make it through having to say it more than that, and Bella is the one who _lived_ it." I replied through grinding teeth. Just thinking about what I'd seen brought fresh waves of anger to me.

"You were growling so loudly at times. And at other points, as Bella cried out, so did you, but she sounded in pain, and you, you sounded…lost." Rosalie said quietly.

"I'm sorry I frightened you Rose." I told her as I lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "I had no control over my actions. I didn't even know I was making them. For me, it was like I was there, watching as a third party observer, but at the same time, I heard what he heard, felt what he felt, and thought what he thought. The problem is, mixed in with that, I was able to feel what Bella felt, and at times, see it from her perspective. Alice is right about her mind though. Phil is taking up so much room, if I were to try to linger in Bella's mind, it would almost surely destroy her. I think I know how to get her "visitor" out, but I need to discuss it with Carlisle and Alice first. It's the only idea I've got and for now, all we can do is hope it's a good idea."

I was about to suggest we hunt, but Emmett's phone began to vibrate.

"They'd only call for one reason, answer it." I begged.

"Carlisle? Oh, Alice! What's wrong? Has something happened? What? No, he's right here, we haven't left yet. No, yes, he's right here, just a moment." Emmett then handed me the phone.

"Edward, you are absolutely brilliant!" Alice beamed. "I didn't even think of anything like that. I was going to suggest situating yourself as you had before, but try to reach out to Bella that way, but your way…Oh Edward! It's going to work."

"Alice, what if I combine my idea with your's? Will that work? With just my way, she'll have no idea what's going on, but with the combination, I may be able to reach her and let her know what's happening, let her know we're helping her. Will it work?" I implored her.

"Give me a moment." She replied. _"Alice? What's going on? What are you doing?"_ I heard on the line. Jasper and Carlisle both growing concerned. "Edward, it'll work! She won't answer you though, but you'll reach her. She'll know it's you. She'll know you are helping. Hurry up and hunt so you can get back. The sooner we get to work, the sooner we'll get her back Edward. Oh, Carlisle wants to speak with you a moment. Bye, hurry home." Alice said as she handed over the phone.

"Edward, how are you doing?" Carlisle asked.

"Better, Emmett brought me a mountain lion, we're about to head off to do more hunting. How is Bella doing?"

"She's still resting; the sedative I gave her was strong enough to keep her out for three days. She's stopped crying finally. I think the sedative is affecting the person's ability to torment Bella right now, as long as it's strong in her system, they seem to leave her alone."

"Good. Listen, have Alice explain our plan to every one, I'll explain to Emmett and Rose. We'll have a meeting first so I can tell every one what I saw in her mind and then we'll get to work. Every one may want to go for a quick hunt after that meeting while Emmett, Rose and I stay with Bella, and then we can get to work."

"Sounds like an excellent plan. And Edward?"

"Yes. Hurry home. Before the sedative kicked in completely Bella called for you."

"We'll be as fast as we can. Thank you Carlisle, for everything."

"What are father's for?" He asked.

"Bye." I replied, and closed the phone, handing back to Emmett.

"So, there's a plan now?" Rose asked.

"Do we all play a part?" Emmett questioned.

"Yes, there is a plan now, and yes and no, about everyone playing a part. Alice, Jasper, Carlisle and I will play the major roles, you two and Esme are going to be the moral support the rest of us will be leaning heavily on. Come on, I'll explain everything while we're hunting." And with that, we took off into the forest, a renewed energy in my body.

'_Can you both hear me?'_ I questioned in my mind as we each took off after our own prey.

'_Yes.'_ They both replied.

'_I think it would best if we waited until we are in the car on the way back. I'm slightly distracted right now as I'm sure you two are as well.'_

'_A little bit.'_ Rose responded.

'_Emmett?'_

'_I just cornered a bear. I'll meet you both at the car.'_ Came his curt reply. I didn't hold it against him though, his mind was on his prey, not appeasing me.

I had taken down two more mountain lion and a cougar by the time I headed back to the car. I could hear Rosalie a couple miles away finishing up her hunt and Emmett was looking to track down one more. As I waited, I went over every last detail of the plan in my mind. I had to make sure we got everything exactly right. Alice would see if we were going to hit any roadblocks, Jasper would keep both Bella and myself as calm as possible. Carlisle's role was to keep watch over Bella's physical well-being. I had a feeling Phil would not give up the fight easily and Bella would suffer for it. I would try to minimize that, but there's just no telling how much I'll be able to minimize. With Carlisle there at the ready, though, he'd be able to treat her immediately, and while this did nothing to settle my nerves, it did help make me feel slightly more at ease about Bella being looked after.

Soon, both Emmett and Rosalie were headed back to the car, and as we all got in and headed back home, I leaned forward between the seats and began to tell them the plan.


	13. Another Author's Note, I'm so very sorry

I just wanted to put up a quickie note saying thank you to every one for being so patient with me. I know I'm taking forever between my updates, and I really have no good excuse other than major writer's block. Having everything worked out in your head is one thing, trying to get it all down into words is something completely different.

Also, I'm kind of working on more than one story at a time, while I'm writing this one off the cuff, so to speak, I've already gotten most of the next one written out in a note format, it'll make it much easier to transfer once this one finishes. I've also got a third piece I'm working on simultaneously with this one, but it is a completely different genre, and for my own private reading, as well as a couple of friends who saw it accidentally and are now demanding that I finish it or suffer bodily harm. Trying to keep the two separate is sometime difficult at best.

Anyway, I know how much I hate when people just ramble on pointlessly, but I do have one more thing I want to add.

I have noticed on this site, that a lot of people like to make Emmett out as a big kid, with the maturity level of a three year old. If you read the books carefully, and then also view the Q & A on both the Lexicon and Ms. Meyer's website, you will find that Emmett lived a very full life and has done a lot that he regrets and it quite the adult. While he can be playful, I sometimes get frustrated with people over looking the fact that he is 92 years old. In my story, he is mature, wise, family oriented, and just a tad goofy because, let's face it, even in the books, he had his goofy moments!

Okay, that's all for now.

I'm going to try to get chapters out a little fast from now on, probably at least one a week. I work on them at work, and fine tune them myself, it's no offence to any one's who's offered, I'm just a tad self-conscious when it comes to my writing and I'm almost paranoid about it until it's just out there for every one to see as a finished product (even if it's just a single chapter).

Okay expect the next chapter up by Monday! And thanks again for reading! While it's not required, I do like reviews, but just seeing my alert notices go up makes me happy too!


	14. Chapter 12

Disclaimer- I would love to claim myself to be Stephanie Meyer, alas, I am not, but the following work is all mine!

Annoying Author's Note – So, I have successfully avoided the angry mob and pitch fork scenario for my incredibly long absence. Other than, I am really, REALLY sorry I have been gone for so long, I don't have a good excuse. I do have a somewhat, though, not all-encompassing, excuse. First, I have met the most amazing man. We talk constantly – and by constantly I mean, about the only time we are not in contact is while we are asleep. Second, I have been out of the country, in CANADA where I will be moving after the New Year. Third, I ended up staying for three weeks instead of three days in Canada with before mentioned amazing man. I know – wow. Like I said, not a good excuse, but the only one I have, well, that and some annoying writer's block. If any one has a muse they'd like to share with me, I'd be forever grateful!

_Recap: _

_Soon, both Emmett and Rose were headed back to the car and as we all got in and headed back home, I leaned forward and began to tell them the plan._

EPOV

"So, let me get this straight," Rose turned around and said to me. "You and Alice say that Phil, her step-father, is "in" Bella's head but taking up all of the room in there and if he weren't you'd be able to hear her like you do the rest of us?"

"And you are going to get into his head by way of Bella and what, exactly? Try to make him see reason? I don't understand Ed." Emmett stated, his eyes never leaving the road. I could see the concern and frustration and the hatred for Phil in Emmett's features. I didn't need Jasper around for that today.

"Once I'm in his head, I can force him out of Bella's." I began.

"And just _how_ do you plan to do that exactly. The guy is **IN** her head, causing her immense pain and has spread himself through out her mind like a virus. Just **HOW** are you going to force him back out?" Rosalie asked in complete indignation.

"To start, I'm going to try to help Bella do it herself by being inside of his head. He will feel all of the pain he is causing her, much the way I felt it when I was in his head earlier. He's not focusing on the pain he's inflicting, he's concentrating on inflicting that pain. I think that's why he doesn't feel it. I was focusing on the pain she was in, that's why I did feel it. It is just a theory, but that is all I have…for now anyway.

After Bella and I force him to back out of her mind, I'm going to take over and "fill up" her mind the way he had previously in order to prevent him from being able to come back. Alice thinks this is only one phase of what he has planned for Bella, and based on what she's seen he will back off and stay gone from her mind once he realizes this avenue is closed to him." I explained.

The rest of the ride home was spent in relative quiet. Emmett and Rosalie asked minor technical questions, mostly trying to ease their own minds that neither Bella nor I would be lost in this process.

Soon enough we were pulling up the long drive to the house. Rose was out the door and into the house before Emmett even had a chance to put the car in park.

As I was turning to open the door, Emmett reached between the seats and grabbed my arm.

"Ed, before we go in. Tell me you are positive this will work and that we will not lose you or Bella in the process. Rose, she…we, we can't, we won't be able to stand it." Emmett asked me, his eyes begging me to tell him that everything would be fine.

"Emmett, there is a chance, but Alice has already seen, this is going to work." I replied as compassionately as I could. I was in a hurry to get back to Bella. "And Emmett," I smiled, "we don't bet against Alice, do we?"

"No," he sighed, "we don't."

"Good, now let's get in there before Rose smothers Bella to death in hugs." I chuckled.

"Right." He answered me absentmindedly, his thoughts already racing ahead to the different possible outcomes to the night.

Before heading inside, I stopped Emmett with my hand on his shoulder.

"Emmett, everything is going to work out. Bella is stronger than she realizes."

"I know, but things can happen, unpredictable things. Those are what I'm worried about."

I patted his shoulder in a brotherly fashion before heading through the front door.

Once inside, we headed for the rarely used dining room. Rosalie was nowhere to be seen as I scanned the room. I had been steeling myself for what had to be told next. I was barely able to stand what had happened to Bella when I was seeing her and Phil's memories and now I would have to sit with my family and replay it all for them again.

"I'll do what I can to keep you calm Edward." Jasper pulled me from my thoughts. 

"What? I'm sorry Jasper. I wasn't paying attention, what did you say?" I asked him.

"You are worried, and scared. I'll do my best to keep you calm so you can make it through telling us what you saw."

"Thank you. I am going to need it, and so is every one else. You may need to pay particular attention to Rose, Emmett and Carlisle. Besides myself, they, feel the most protective of Bella." 

"I know. I'm on my way up to get Rosalie for this meeting. I'm glad you are feeling better. When you left, you were barely able to stand." He said to me on his way up the stairs.

Jasper's thoughts had already trailed off to how he would be able to keep every one calm, devising strategies and contingencies as only he was capable, as I turned and headed into the dining room to take my seat at the rarely used table. Esme had placed another chair at the table when Bella first joined us so that we could all sit down for meals together, although, Bella was the only one who actually ate, it did feel good to have every one sit together and talk. Bella, at first, was self conscious having every one around while she ate, but as we overcame our fascination with watching her eat, and began speaking and looking at each other instead, she became less self conscious and would also join in the conversation on occasion.

"What are you chuckling about?" Rosalie asked as she sullenly walked into the room.

"I'm just remembering how self conscious Bella used to get when we all would sit around this table while she ate."

"At least she finally got over it though." Emmett added.

"With just a little help." Alice chuckled.

Every one turned to look at Jasper who shrugged and took his seat. Carlisle entered next and stood behind his seat, looking each of us in the eye for a moment before taking his seat solemnly.

"We all know why we are here." He started. Turning to look at me he added, "And we are also aware that whatever is happening to Bella is linked to her past. Edward, I think it's time for you to share with the rest of us what you experienced."

All eyes turned to me and suddenly, I began to wonder if this was how Bella used to feel while she was eating. "I you sure you all want to hear this?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter if we **want** to hear this. We **need** to know Edward." Esme said. "We need to know what happened to Bella. It will help us in the long run. It may hurt us to hear, but this will help. We'll be better able to help her heal, and we'll be better able to understand if she ever decides to talk about it with any of us."

"Alright then." I said, and I began to relay all that I had seen while I was trapped in Bella's mind. I told them all I could of the circumstances of her mother's death, of Phil and Charlie, and of how Bella had come to live in Forks and then to live with us.

I had to pause often as every one's emotions grew more and more upsetting. Jasper, barely containing his own emotions, was having a very difficult time keeping every one else in control.

After two hours, everything that needed to be said, was. Carlisle angrily pushed his chair away from the table, the chair clattering to the floor. He began walking out of the room when Esme called him back.

"Carlisle wait." Esme called to him.

Carlisle stopped in the doorway, clenching and unclenching his fists, his shoulders tense. He turned around slowly and for the first time since I have known him, his eyes were as black as onyx. He was not forming any complete or coherent thoughts.

"What is the next step?" Esme asked when she was certain Carlisle would not do anything rash.

"First, all of you need to go and hunt." Emmett replied.

"Once we get back, Edward and Jasper are going to help Bella and Carlisle will attend to her injuries. After that, we all help her in any way we can, or that she will allow us."

"What do you mean, Alice?" Esme asked.

"Well, she's going to be…difficult, at first. She'll be more concerned with keeping us safe then with her own recovery, and in her mind, that will mean attempting to keep us away."

"We will **NOT** allow for that!" Carlisle yelled.

"No, we won't. She will just have to get used to us being around. I will NOT leave her side until she is able to live a normal life!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"She will not be left alone for any period of time. Some one will be with her to help her bathe, food will need to be prepared for her, she will need physical therapy, and some one to talk to. She will need people around her to take her mind off of things, and to help her get caught up with schoolwork. She needs a friend and a family and we will be both for her." Carlisle declared.

"We already are all of those things to and for her, Carlisle." I said quietly. "We will continue to be her friends and her family no matter what, just as we have remained friend and family to each other through the years."

"Let's get going." Jasper said softly. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get back and be able to help Bella. Carlisle, how long will that sedative last that you gave to Bella?"

"I'm going to give her another one in a moment, then we'll head out." He replied, then turned and headed up to Bella's room.

"I've never seen him so angry or murderous." Alice whispered.

"Because Carlisle is the most compassionate and forgiving person on the face of the planet. But even the most compassionate and forgiving person would feel the way he does when a member of his family is in danger and has some one with a malicious intent after them." Jasper explained.

No one spoke again as every one drifted to the living room to wait for Carlisle to return so he, Esme, Jasper and Alice could go and hunt.

"Would you mind giving me a moment before you come up?" I asked Emmett and Rosalie.

"Sure Ed." Emmett replied.

"Why?" Rosalie asked me.

"I want a private word with Carlisle before he leaves. I just want to make sure that he'll be able to be clear headed when he comes back." I answered.

They both nodded to me as I backed out of the room and began heading up the stairs.

I ascended quickly and headed to Bella's room. I found Carlisle sitting on the edge of her bed holding her hand and stroking the hair on her forehead. I did not wish to intrude on his moment with his surrogate daughter so I stood back and tuned into his thoughts. I had never known a moment when I felt myself concerned for Carlisle, but in this moment, I had never been more concerned for any one.

'_I'll make sure that whoever is doing this to you will never be able to hurt you again. I swear it Bella. From the moment I met you, I knew that you were some one special. I knew you would be a member of this family. It did not hurt that Alice had seen you would be with us once we had met you. Still though. We will get you back, and we will keep you safe. Once this is over, we will make you safe.'_

'_You can come in now Edward.'_

"I apologize. I didn't wish to intrude."

"No, I apologize. I lost my head earlier. I honestly do not know what came over me. I have never felt this protective of some one before, not even for any of you."

"That is understandable Carlisle. We would be able to protect ourselves, even from some one who would be able to get to us in the fashion that they are hurting Bella, we wouldn't be as _vulnerable_ as Bella is. She is human, she bleeds, she heals much more slowly, her bones can break so easily. Even for a human she is weaker than most because of all that she has been put through."

"Even still, it is no excuse for my earlier behavior, and I apologize. As head of this family, I…"

"As head of this family, it is good to know that you are capable of being protective of the members of this family. We all recognize that Carlisle. While none of us has ever seen you respond to anything in the manner you did earlier, it is good to know that we are not the only ones so sickened by what has occurred. Sickened and pushed to the point of murderous intents. If I were capable, I would rip the head off of the person who's doing this to her while I'm inside of his mind."

Carlisle gently placed Bella's hand down on the bed, brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and kissed her forehead lightly. He then rose and picked up a syringe from a tray by her bed and injected the liquid into the IV tube.

"It's a sedative. It will keep her in the state she in long enough for us to get a hunt in and get back and prepare."

Carlisle moved to leave the room and paused as he passed by me, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Every one keeps asking you to assure them that everything is going to be alright. It will be Edward. I know how you feel for her, I can see it in the way that you watch her when you think she is not looking. She completes you in ways that I never thought possible."

"I do not know what I will do if this does not work Carlisle. I always thought I was complete, until I met Bella that is. I did not think I needed anything or any one else other than this family. If we lose her, if I lose her, I don't think I will recover."

"Then we will not lose her. Besides, we do not bet against Alice, do we?" Carlisle chuckled humorlessly as he used my own words from earlier.

"No, we do not." I replied.

"It's time to go. We will be back in under three hours. She should sleep calmly, she has so far."

And then he walked out of the room and down the stair. I took his place on the bed holding Bella's hand and stroking her hair. From down stairs I could hear the front door open and close softly as the others left for their hunt.

Emmett and Rosalie came in quietly. Emmett stopped by Bella's bed and touched her free hand making a silent vow to do everything within his power to protect her from further harm, then made his way to the love seat by the window. Rosalie sat behind me on the bed and put her hand on Bella's thigh making the same silent vow as her husband had just moments earlier. Then she placed her arms around me, hugging me from behind. I placed my free hand over her arms and leaned my head back to rest on her shoulder.

"Everything **will be** fine Rose. I swear it. Alice has seen it, I believe it, now you have to as well." I said to her softly.

"I do Edward, I do. Just seeing her like this, seeing you, it's just so…"

"I know, but we'll all pull through, you'll see."

"Come here Rose. Edward needs the time to prepare." Emmett said from the window.

Rosalie gave one more squeeze and then went to Emmett, who held her in his firm embrace. I took the moment to silently thank him and watched him give an imperceptible nod of his head.

Turning my head back to Bella, I contemplated the merits of beginning before every one returned and found myself coming up empty. I would have to wait, for Alice and Jasper, for Carlisle. Without them, everything we would be trying would fail, and I knew it. For the moment, the only thing to do was to prepare my mind to attune myself to Bella as best as I could. So, that is what I did. After the others return, that would be when the real work, and the most danger, would begin.


	15. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: My last name is not Meyer, my first name is not Stephanie, therefore, I can't lay claim to owning anything…unless you count my copies of the books, in which case, I SO own those!

Yet another annoying author's note: To all of my faithful readers, thank you SOOO much for sticking with me. I'm so horribly sorry that the last chapter took so long to get out. Between not knowing how to put it into words and all the stuff going on in my life right now, I was having some serious issues getting it done. Now that it is though, the next chapter should go rather smoothly. I should be able to update more frequently now as well. I know I've said that before, but this time I mean it….lol. Okay, on with the show?

EPOV

Rosalie, Emmett and I sat with Bella for close to three hours. Bella had not so much as even twitched in her sedative induced sleep. While this was comforting, it was also disturbing. We had become so used to Bella being an active sleeper, seeing her in this state left me feeling apprehensive.

"Why doesn't she move like she normally does?" Rosalie asked.

"Because her body is too weak, for one thing, and for another, Carlisle has been keeping her sedated. He told me he thinks that Phil is unable to get into her head properly because of the drugs, so he's been keeping her on a heavy regimen of sedatives." I explained.

Taking my eyes off Bella for a moment to glance at my brother and sister, I was surprised to see Rosalie pacing angrily.

"What is it Rose?" Emmett asked her.

"He called her weak, _**weak!**_ She is probably the strongest person we know, and you _dare_ to call her weak?!"

"I didn't mean it that way Rose. Calm down. I meant that because of her injuries, she is in a weakened state. She has broken bones, hasn't eaten in days, and has lost so much blood. I do not mean Bella is weak as a person Rose, just right now…"

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just so upset, with myself, with this Phil person, with Bella's whole past. Why would some one do that to their own child? I just don't get it." She said, and sat down on Emmett's lap. Emmett held her close to him and rubbed her back and arm in a comforting manor.

While I was thinking of a way to answer Rosalie's question, the family came back. No one even hesitated in coming directly to Bella's room.

"No, she hasn't stirred at all. The sedatives are still working." I answered Carlisle's unspoken question.

"We should wait until they wear off a little bit then." He replied. "If Phil isn't able to do anything to her with her in this state, I would have to guess that the same would be true for you as well Edward."

"I agree." I answered.

"I'll be able to tell you when she's coming out of it though, so we'll be able to get to work quickly." Jasper said.

Every one took up places around the room waiting for Bella to stir so we could begin to help in any way possible, and we didn't have to wait long. Soon, much sooner than we'd expected, the sedative seemed to drain from her blood completely and Bella was crying out in pain. A low moan could be heard in the corner of the room and I turned to see Jasper sitting on the floor with his knees pulled into his chest.

"Jasper?" Carlisle asked.

Jasper didn't respond. His breathing was ragged and his eyes were shut tight. Tuning into his thoughts did me no good either, as nothing was coherent or intelligible.

"Some one needs to get through to him. We can't do this without Jasper!" I exclaimed.

Esme and Alice both went to Jasper, Alice hugging him fiercely and Esme resting her hands on his shoulders. Jasper seemed to calm marginally, and then Rosalie and Emmett went to him. Rosalie joined Alice on the floor hugging Jasper and Emmett stood over all of them as if to protect them all. Jasper picked his head up, took a few ragged breathes and whispered his thanks to every one.

"Jasper," Carlisle said, kneeling in front of him, "are you going to be able to do this?"

"Yes. It was just so much in one blinding moment. It was as if the guy was lurking, just waiting for that sedative to wear off, he didn't even wait for it to wear off completely. It would have been much worse if it had. She's still lethargic and trying to feel nothing as she was before, but I don't think that's possible now."

"Can you help her Jasper? Can you calm her or something, anything?" Rosalie asked, panic quickly rising in her voice.

"I am. I need to get closer to her though, the closer I am to her the more effective it will be."

Emmett helped Jasper to his feet, steadying him as the waves of pain rolling off of Bella rolled onto Jasper.

'_God, could we lose all three of them here today? I've never seen Jasper so affected by any one's emotions before._'

"Stop thinking like that Emmett. We are all going to be fine. Jasper just wasn't expecting it and was taken off guard is all. Right Jasper?" I said.

"Right." He breathed. The effort to keep himself calm as well as Bella was definitely taking its toll. He wasn't even trying to help the others in the room and I knew that it would be almost impossible for him to do so in the state he was in. Suddenly, though, great waves of calm were rolling through the room. It was as if Jasper were trying so hard to keep Bella calm that he wasn't trying to direct the flow just drowning the room in it.

"Jasper?" Alice asked.

"It's the only way I can do it. Every one is too agitated and I can't do anything if every one is this worked up. I just can't concentrate." He answered.

"It's okay, I think this will work out better anyway. You are right, every one is too worked up. We all have so much to lose here today. But, I promise, we're all going to come out of this just fine, including Bella." Alice assured every one.

"Let's get started then." Carlisle said.

"What's first?" Emmett asked.

"The first part is already done." I answered. "Jasper has Bella as calm as he can possibly make her, almost as calm as the sedative was making her, only without the side affect of her subconscious not being able to function properly."

"Then what's second?" Rosalie asked.

"Second is when Edward makes his way into Phil's head and turns the tables around while trying to help Bella understand what is going on. It's going to be tricky though because the only person who'll be able to know if she understands is Jasper and we won't be able to reach Edward until he's the one in Bella's head instead of Phil. And Edward, she's going to try to fight you when you do take over. Don't fight her. Just try to help her understand. Talk to her, and comfort her. Jasper will do his thing on this end, but she's just not going to be very trusting of any one right now, probably not even us, but that won't last long. She'll eventually learn to trust her own mind again, it'll just take a little time." Alice said. I gave her a nod to let her know I'd understood.

I took a few deep breathes and closed my eyes. I sought out the sound of Bella's mind and found that one little corner that Phil had not been able to occupy. From there I did much the same as the previous time I'd done this and made my way to his mind.

I did not stop, this time, to see what he was making Bella relive. I could feel Jasper working to keep Bella calm. I reached out to Bella's mind from where I was in Phil's. I could feel her trying to push me back to protect herself and instead of forcing myself on her, I allowed her to push me away. I called out to her with my mind to let her know it was me.

'_Bella. It's Edward. Please don't fight me. I know you are in pain. I know who's doing this to you. I'm here to help you. I'm going to reach out to you again. Keep pushing me back until you feel ready. I won't force myself onto you.'_ I told her.

I made my way forward again, only to be pushed back, though, not as far this time. I waited a few moments and then tried again. Again I was pushed back, and again, not as far. I tried a third time, only to be held at bay, but not pushed. It seemed as if she was trying to decide if this was a trick of Phil's or if she could actually trust me.

'_I promise you Bella. I am no trick of Phil's. I am here to help you. I know you can't answer me, and that's fine. Bella, we have a plan, but I'll need you to do your part. If it's alright, I would like to explain it to you so you know what is happening.'_

I felt the pressure holding me off slacken slightly but I did not advance again.

'_Bella. I'm going to try to force Phil from your mind. This may be painful Bella, because I'm going to use the pain he is inflicting on you to force him out. I'm going to turn it against him. Once you are free of him though, I'm going to take over where he was in your mind so that he can't come back. I'm going to make the transition as painless as possible and if you feel the need to fight me, go with it, I won't fight back. The whole family is with you Bella. That calm and confidence you feel, that is Jasper doing his part to help us. Alice is informing every one of the progress we make. Carlisle is attending to your injuries. Emmett, Rosalie and Esme are there too, doing whatever they can to help every one. We're all here Bella, we're all going to help you in whatever way you need.'_

All of the pressure Bella had been using to hold me off disappeared. She had made up her mind to trust me, and now it was my chance to make sure that trust was well placed. I allowed myself to flow into the stream that Phil was sending to Bella's mind, basically allowing him to implant my mind into Bella's. I had realized that Bella would not be able to do this herself once I realized how much pain she was actually in. It seems as if she is somehow keeping Jasper from feeling the full extent of it.

When I was situated, I began to concentrate on the pain Phil was inflicting upon Bella. At first it was too painful for me to be able to react, but then the pain became endurable as I realized Bella was taking it on herself to give me the ability to do what I needed to do.

As I took a moment to figure out the best way to accomplish my task, a great sense of urgency came over me. I realized at once that it must be Jasper trying to tell me to hurry.

'_Bella, keep fighting.' _I implored to her. _'Do NOT give up on us.'_ I begged. I turned my concentration back to the task at hand and began to direct the pain infliction back at Phil. I had the sense that it must be working because I could feel Phil's influence weakening, and then his determination growing. At first it seemed my plan would fail, but then Phil's determination grew weaker and weaker as his pain grew.

I wondered for a brief moment if he could possibly feel any guilt or remorse for what he'd done, knowing now exactly what it was like for Bella. The thoughts were quickly squelched when I could hear Phil cursing Bella and swearing oaths of revenge and her painful death. His hold on her, however, began to waver and then disappear all together.

'_Bella! You did it. You were so brave. Alright now. I'm going to remain here where Phil was so he can't come back. I promise to make it as painless as I can Bella, but I've never done this before, so I'm not sure what's going to happen. Please, just trust me.'_

I never got a response except that she did not try to fight me. I encountered minimal resistance and I believe that was just her mind trying to protect itself after the brutality of Phil's presence.

The further I delved into Bella's mind, the more memories of her past I was able to see. Her whole life had been one of pain and brutality forced upon her by the father figures in her life. I began to wonder how she'd come to trust Carlisle at all after all she'd been through.

Almost as if answering my question, I saw that first day that I'd met Bella. The night she'd had before her first day, how she tried to be so brave and made it despite the pain she was in. Her fear from when she'd openly showed pain to me, the fear she had that some one would inform Charlie of her injuries and the punishment she'd receive from others having knowledge. I saw next Bella waking in the nurse's office. What she thought and felt about having me there, and then her terror as she heard Charlie coming down the hall. I had remembered hearing his thoughts as well, the different punishments he had been conjuring up in his mind. I'd made a vow then and there that I would do everything in my power to make sure no one ever laid another hand on Bella, her father included.

After that, Carlisle had come in and informed Charlie that Bella would be going to the hospital, not home, and Bella had been terrified. After Carlisle had told Charlie there was no choice in the matter and sent me to collect Bella's belongings, he'd talked with her. I could see and feel her warring with herself over whether or not to trust Carlisle. I heard the promise Carlisle made to her and then my own. She had wanted to believe us immediately, but her past had made that almost impossible. She had been about to agree and allow us to help her when Charlie had come back. She was going to go with him without another thought just to avoid either Carlisle or myself getting hurt. Carlisle had challenged Charlie though and had taken it out into the hallway closing Bella and I in, and Bella's mind was completely clouded over in fear at that point allowing for nothing else.

By the time Carlisle had come back in, Bella had herself almost in check. She had tried so hard to make herself brave enough to speak, but fear of her father kept from doing so, no matter how many times Carlisle assured her that she was safe with us. Emmett and Alice had shown up then, and while we'd said Jasper was going to be with us, he kept out of sight, just in case Charlie did decide to change his mind and follow us. Before we'd even made it out of the parking lot, Bella had passed out in the back seat on Alice.

I knew Bella wasn't consciously showing me these images. I wondered if I was the one showing them to myself being in the position I was in. The next thing I saw was when Bella woke up in the hospital. Everything was hazy and I couldn't make out the shapes, a familiar voice was speaking, but I could not recognize it, the haze seemed to be affecting my hearing as well as my sight.

Suddenly I could feel Bella become terrified. Something another voice said about "at home". Her thoughts immediately turned to Charlie and what her punishment would be for all the trouble she'd caused. I could feel her heart beating in her chest, almost as if it would burst through in her fear. Some one was telling her to calm down, but calming down was impossible. Charlie colored her thoughts, horrible images of punishments she'd received in the past from Phil for this very thing, images of what Charlie had done to her once he'd gotten her home from Phoenix, her mother's words of the kind of man Charlie truly was. Nothing seemed to be working.

Carlisle had sent me off to find a nurse to bring back something to calm Bella down with and while I was gone, he'd gotten Bella to tell him that what had set her off was Charlie. He'd realized his mistake and corrected himself explaining to Bella that she wasn't going home with Charlie. That seemed to help slightly. However as soon as she'd started to calm with Carlisle's reassuring words, Bella's worst nightmare showed up and there was Charlie telling Carlisle that Bella would, indeed, be going home with her father. If I wouldn't have known better, I would have thought Bella would have died of a heart attack then and there. I could hear Carlisle's faint calling of Bella's name from her perspective.

I had remembered the nurse and me pushing past Emmett and Jasper as they were dragging Charlie out of the room. I do not know what they did with him or how far they took him. The nurse hurried over to Carlisle and he immediately pushed the syringe into the IV in Bella's hand. It worked almost immediately, her heart rate slowed down to within a manageable rate and while her breathing was still erratic, it too was calming down. Carlisle had had to make rounds at that point, but I stayed with Bella all night and most of the next day. Carlisle had her discharged to our home stating that we had in home care set up for her.

We'd all sat with her through the next day. Alice had gotten the idea that Bella needed to be surrounded by pillows to keep her from rolling off of the king size bed we'd placed her in the middle of. As she'd begun to stir, I'd called Carlisle who made his way almost noiselessly into the room and tried to sooth Bella when she'd begun to panic slightly.

From Bella's perspective I could feel her fear. She'd wondered if Charlie had been able to get away from Emmett and Jasper, she'd feared that he'd gotten her home and wondered how much more pain she could endure. She'd wanted to see who was speaking to her and Carlisle realizing Bella couldn't turn her head moved into her sight and sat lightly on the bed. She'd feared punishment for answering Carlisle's questions at first. He'd reminded her that no physical punishments would ever be delivered in this home. We'd introduced Bella to the rest of the family and she'd explained to us what had brought her to Forks.

She had been so surprised to find Esme hugging her. She wasn't quite sure what to do in the situation, no one had ever hugged her before that she could recall. Phil hadn't allowed her mother to show affection to Bella growing up. She'd feared Esme as she pulled away from Bella because of the anger on Esme's face. It had disturbed all of us that Esme then had to explain to Bella that the anger wasn't directed at her.

The next images I saw were of the family explaining to Bella what we are. She'd passed out cold from shock, which had been rather amusing and frightening to see all at once. Alice had had a vision at that point about the very events that had occurred.

I suddenly felt a great force pushing against me. Bella had begun to struggle.

'_Bella, I need you to relax. It's just me.'_ I called out to her.

'_I'll find a way to get to her again boy.'_ A voice sneered at me.

'_No, you won't. My family and I won't let you.'_

'_She'll never be free. I'll see to that. This isn't the last you'll be hearing from me.'_

'_You won't be getting anywhere near her again.'_

'_I got to her before, I can do it again. You won't ever be free of me Bella. I'll hunt you down again. I'll take you to within an inch of your life, wait for you to heal, and then do it over and over again. That is your purpose in this life, Bella. When you aren't fun for me any longer, I'll finish you off the slowest, most painful way I can think of.'_

'_I will __**not**__ allow that to happen. She is protected with my family now. You will never get to her again.'_

'_I already have her. It's just a matter of time before I can physically grasp her again. And it's all thanks to my friend James here.'_

Phil began thinking of his friend James, and I was able to get a view of him myself. His thoughts moved on to two other members of the coven and I was able to glean names to go along with the faces, Victoria, a wild and feral looking female with hair the color of fire, and Laurent, a black haired, pale olive-toned skin man.

Phil then began imagining all of the ways he could torture Bella. I found myself immediately disgusted and growing angrier and angrier until I was having difficulty reigning in my fury.

I felt Bella begin to struggle with me again, and then intense waves of calm washed over me.

'_Edward. I know you can hear me, but I don't think you'll be able to respond. Count to one hundred slowly and then Bella should be safe. Carlisle is working on Bella's injuries. I don't know how, but she seems to have received even more while you've been in there. Jasper is doing his best to keep her calm, he says you need to get your anger back in check. It's countering what he's doing for Bella.' _Alice managed to contact me.

'_Bella, Carlisle is doing what he can for your injuries. I'm so sorry for losing my temper earlier.'_

'_Injuries are such fun, aren't they boy?'_

I caught a glimpse of Phil remembering Victoria laying her hand on Bella's shoulder and then he laughed to himself, because the woman has an ability. I'd have to remember to tell my family, specifically Carlisle about that.

'_No need Edward. I've already informed him. Carlisle has such colorful language when he thinks we aren't listening very closely.' _Alice informed me.

I put everything I had into forcing Phil from Bella's mind at this point. I imagined a bubble surrounding us and growing to encompass Bella and myself until nothing else could get in. It seemed to work. Bella's struggles began to lessen and then cease all together. I could no longer hear Phil, which meant he was out of my range, and no longer attacking Bella's mind.

I'm not sure how long I remained in Bella's mind imagining the bubble. I soothed Bella and spoke to her, never getting any kind of response.

'_Bella. I know you are frightened. I think Phil will be leaving you alone now. Bella, I need to know if you hear me, if you understand.'_

It wasn't exactly a response I received, more like a dim light being shined into a dark corner.

'_Bella, you can trust me. I promised not to cause you pain, and I haven't. I'm going to protect you Bella, I promise.'_ I spoke to her as softly as I could to keep from frightening her.

'_Edward, it's safe, come back.'_ Alice called to me.

I realized I didn't know how to get out of Bella's mind. The previous time, I was pulled out when my contact with her had been broken by Carlisle removing me from the room.

Suddenly I was being thrust from Bella's mind with vicious force. I found myself suddenly sprawled on the floor next to Bella's bed, all of my family looking at me with concern and curiosity.

"What was that?" Emmett asked.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**I know what you all are thinking…a cliffy?! But, I thought you HATE cliffies. Now, normally I would agree, but this is a really good place to stop. Next chapter will pick back up again. Until then…I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY sorry for the cliffy.**


	16. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own a darn thing, blah.

A/N: I would just like to thank every one who's reviewed me. I have never had such an awesome reaction to my writing before. So thank you, every one. Now, on with the show!

**Previously:** _Suddenly I was being thrust from Bella's mind with vicious force. I found myself suddenly sprawled on the floor next to Bella's bed, all of my family looking at me with concern and curiosity. _

"_What was that?" Emmett asked._

**Now:**

EPOV

"That, Emmett, was Bella fighting back." I replied proudly.

"Fighting back how, exactly?" Rosalie asked making her way to Bella's side and holding her hand.

"I only have a working theory right now, but it all fits." I replied.

"Go on Edward." Carlisle prompted.

"Once I forced Phil out of Bella's mind, and put up a wall that he couldn't get past, I explained to Bella how to do it herself to keep him out. I told her I'd stay with her until she felt sure enough of her self to keep it up herself. Once she was able she did take over, but I believe in the process she managed for force me out of her mind as well." I explained.

"So, in essence, Bella has made her mind private, a place where no one can touch her." Carlisle beamed.

"Pretty much." I replied. "Since Jasper affects the body, he'll still be able to affect her. And since Alice sees out comes of decisions because those outcomes happen in the real world, not just inside the head, she'll still be able to see Bella's possible futures." I surmised.

"Okay, as much as I would love to continue to discuss this," Carlisle began, "I really must stitch up these wounds, and that means there is going to be fresh blood. I need every one to clear out."

"I'm staying." Alice and I said in unison.

Carlisle looked at each of us in turn and said, "Edward, I'm sure Bella will appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think she'll want you to see her without her shirt on."

"I'll close my eyes, but I'm not going to leave her." I retorted.

"Alright then, every one else though, I need you to leave." Carlisle instructed.

"Is there anything we should get ready?" Esme asked.

"Yes." Carlisle responded. "She's going to need loose, comfortable clothes to wear, and fresh bedding. She'll also need cold water or preferably ice chips. Once I'm done, some one will need to stay with her constantly, talking to her, reading to her, whatever."

"Emmett and I can do all of that. We'll read to her, and keep her company. How long do you think it will be before she wakes?" Rosalie responded.

"There's no way to really know, Rose." I told her, as Carlisle had already gotten to work on Bella. "It could be a few hours, or a few days, or a few weeks."

Rosalie nodded as she and Emmett followed Jasper and Esme out of the room, closing the door softly behind them.

"How bad is the damage, Carlisle?" Alice asked.

"I need to re-stitch her back and arms, and across her stomach, re-wrap her ribs, and brace her arm. The fracture seems to be in the forearm so I won't have to tape it down, thank God. Alice, I'm going to need some one to bring up compresses for all the bruises and swelling on her face and shoulders, as well as here, on her hip. Would you mind letting some one know?" Carlisle pointed out.

"Of course." Alice whispered and quickly and quietly left the room.

"Edward, I'm going to need you to hold Bella up while I take care of her back." Carlisle said to me.

I moved to straddle Bella's legs while Carlisle gently lifted Bella from behind by her shoulders. Putting my weight on my knees and off of her legs, I held Bella in an upright sitting position while Carlisle re-stitched her back.

Three hours later and Carlisle and I were just finishing with Bella. I could hear the rest of the family pacing quietly outside of the room. Alice had returned with fresh bandages and a basin of water and some clothes, but the blood had become too much and she'd needed to leave.

Carlisle breathed a sigh of relief and frustration as he wiped his hands off on a wet towel.

"Finally. I was beginning to think we'd ever get through all of this." Carlisle remarked, mostly to himself.

"How could a person survive all that she's been through Carlisle?" I asked.

"Honestly, Edward?" He replied. "I don't know."

"We should let every one in soon." I stated, his answer weighing heavily on my mind.

"Let's just get this cleaned up and then we'll let them in to see her." He answered.

After we'd cleaned up the mess and set fire to it, I opened the door to let every one in. At first, they only looked up to see me standing there, all eyes cast with worry. No one dared to speak at first, but Rosalie couldn't wait any longer.

"How is she?" Rosalie whispered, clearly afraid of the answer.

"Come on in and see for yourself." I answered her with a smile.

Relief flooded the expressions of my family upon seeing my smile. They all hurriedly made their way into the room to take up positions around the bed.

"She's going to need time to heal, but other than that, she should make a full recovery." Carlisle stated to every one. "In the mean time, Edward, Alice and I are going to go for a hunt nearby. I'll leave my cell phone on, just in case."

"I'll sit with Bella for a while." Esme volunteered. "Jasper, why don't you go with Alice? I think you two should be together for a while, and you two," Esme indicated Emmett and Rosalie, "I want you two to get out of the house for a while as well. I don't care if you go hunting with your father and siblings, but out."

"But Esme…" Emmett began to argue.

"No." Esme stated firmly. "No buts, you are getting out of this house for a while. It will do you some good. Bella isn't going anywhere, nor will she be waking for a while. If you really want to do something for her, head into Port Angeles and find her some good books to read. I have a feeling she'd appreciate that most of all. When you get back, Alice Rosalie and I could use some help putting a room together for Bella, we'll need lumber and a bed and I'm sure Alice and Rosalie would love a reason to go shopping for clothes." She trailed off.

"Alright every one. I'll meet you down stairs." Carlisle said. "Esme, will you be alright by yourself with her?" I heard him ask.

"I'll be fine Carlisle. I just am worried about every one else. No one has left the house, or done anything but worry about her since this all started. Every one needs to get out, think about something positive, distract themselves, even if only for a little while." Esme said.

"I agree whole heartedly." Carlisle replied. "I'll keep Jasper, Alice and Edward out longer than usual and I'll tell Emmett and Rosalie not to head home until I call them."

"Good. While you are gone, I'll get Bella changed into something a more comfortable and clean, and change the bedding. She won't wake for some time, correct?" She asked.

"Correct. I've given her enough pain killers to last her the next day or so. So, don't worry about disturbing her." Carlisle answered.

I assumed they were no longer speaking and although I could still hear both of their minds, I guessed that Carlisle was saying a private farewell to Esme. A few moments later, Carlisle was heading down the stairs and Esme was making her way to the linen closet at the end of the hall.

"Are you sure you don't need any help, Esme?" Rosalie asked.

"I'll be fine, Rose." Esme replied. "Just go out and have fun with Emmett picking books for Bella. I know she'll appreciate it." Esme smiled.

"If you're sure then." Rosalie said, a little hesitant.

"Come on Rose." Emmett said, starting toward the door. "We'll take your car, there won't be enough room in the Jeep."

With a final look at the door to Bella's room, Rosalie nodded and followed Emmett out.

"Emmett." Carlisle stopped them. "Keep at it until I give you a call."

Emmett nodded and continued toward the car.

"Oh, and one more thing." Carlisle called.

"Hmmm?" Emmett asked.

"Try to have some fun." Carlisle smiled.

"I'll see what I can do." Emmett smirked and got into the driver's seat.

"Finally." Jasper breathed.

"Finally what?" Alice asked.

"I can finally breathe without feeling as if my chest is trying to cave in." Jasper replied.

Alice tilted her head questioningly.

"All the worry and anxiety every one was feeling, Alice." I answered for him. "It had Jasper feeling as if he was being crushed, especially knowing he could do nothing for every one else when he couldn't even stop himself from feeling that way."

"I felt like I was letting every one down. Not only that, but I was probably making it worse for the rest of you once my emotions got thrown into the mix." Jasper added.

"Well, let's see about working off some of that anxiety then." Carlisle said. "We'll use Emmett's Jeep to get to some good hunting grounds."

We all nodded and got into the Jeep, Alice and Jasper sitting together in the back. Alice put her head on Jasper's chest and he put his arm around her shoulders, holding her, comforting her. I could see Jasper breathe a visible sigh of relief while holding Alice. She always seemed to be able to put whatever she was feeling at the time on hold long enough to help Jasper regroup and feel at ease.

We stayed out hunting until well into the night, realizing belatedly that we left shortly after nine in the morning. Carlisle called Emmett to let him know that it would be alright to head home and then called Esme to check in. Everything had gone well with Emmett and Rosalie and their book hunting, apparently books weren't all that they'd found for Bella. Esme reported nothing of interest in regards to Bella. She'd had to change some bandages, but the bleeding had stopped completely and Bella remained peacefully asleep.

Every one was feeling much better once we arrived at home. Rosalie pulled in behind Carlisle and honked the horn quickly. Hearing his and Rosalie's thoughts, I opened my eyes wide in shock.

"Did you seriously buy a copy of every book in the store?" I asked.

"Just the first two stores, but they were small." Rosalie replied.

As if on cue, a small moving truck pulled in behind Rosalie's car.

"The third store was huge, though. At first we were going to just get a copy of everything, but then decided to try and stick with just certain genres." Rosalie snickered. "As you can see, Emmett and I got a little carried away."

"Carried away is one way to put it." Carlisle said, fighting to hide his smile. "I'm sure Bella will love it." He said moving toward the back of the truck.

"I _know_ she will." Alice chirped.

We made our way to the back of the truck to find it full to the brim of boxes filled with books.

"Oh! You're all home." Esme called from the porch. "You'll be putting those in the room next to Edward's. I think Bella will enjoy the view from there much more than the room she is currently in. Emmett, Jasper, tomorrow the lumber will be delivered for you to build new shelves for all those books, and while they are doing that, girls, _we_ will be going shopping for new clothes, bedding, a bed, and well, whatever we find."

"You seem to be quite cheerful this evening, Esme." Carlisle said to her as he walked past, kissing her on the cheek.

"Bella and I had a very good day today." Esme said.

"How do you mean?" I asked.

"No bad dreams, no tossing or turning, no more bleeding, just good restful sleep. It was actually quite a relief, to be honest." Esme replied, a slight scowl on her face.

"Esme, don't feel too badly." Emmett said. "We all would have felt the exact same way if it would have been one of us staying with her today instead."

"Even still. I feel badly knowing that I feel relief that she did nothing but sleep today." Esme replied.

I felt a wave of calm from the back of the truck, and then Jasper stepped down carrying three boxes loaded with books. Giving me a quick nod, he, too, headed into the house, right past a visibly calmer Esme.

Rosalie and Alice had already headed in, excitedly discussing decorating ideas and plans for Bella's new wardrobe and room décor.

By the time the truck was unloaded and Emmett and Jasper headed off to take the truck back, Bella had a veritable library in her room. The books would definitely take up at least two full walls. A stereo and a full rack of CDs had already been placed on another wall. The back wall was a full wall of window with dramatic red draperies that hung on both ends and down the middle of the window. A space was left on the wall with the stereo and CDs for a large bed, I could already see a plan forming for Rosalie and Alice to follow tomorrow.

I stacked the last box, then headed to see Bella. Rosalie was already sitting there, holding Bella's hand, gently playing with her hair.

"Edward." She greeted me.

I nodded to her. "How is she?"

"Doing well, I suppose." Rosalie shrugged. "Edward, do you think she feels anything right now?"

"How do you mean?" I asked her.

"Do you think she feels anything right now, like pain, or us around her? Do you think she can hear us if we talk to her?" Rosalie turned her head to look at me and hear my answer.

"They say that people in a coma can hear those around them speaking to them, feel their hands being held. I would suppose it would be the same for Bella, though, Bella isn't in a coma. She's just under heavy medication to keep her as free from pain as possible so she can get the rest that she needs right now to heal. I think that Bella knows we're here though. When we hold her hand or play with her hand, when we are near her. I think she knows it all. She knows we're here, keeping her company, protecting her."

"I really do hope she knows that. And I'll be sure to tell her all about it when she does wake up." Rosalie said as she looked back down to Bella and resumed stroking her hair.

I nodded and sat down on the opposite side and picked up Bella's hand, and Rosalie and I sat together and waited for Bella to open her eyes and begin her road to recovery, with the family there to help her along the way.


	17. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I honestly own nothing, with the sole exception of my copies of all three books.

EPOV

Three days. It has been three days since Bella had cast me from her mind and fallen into a peaceful sleep. I had known that she would sleep for quite a while, I had grown a little weary of the fact that she had been asleep for so long though.

Just when I had begun to believe that we would wait a fourth day, Bella began to stir. Rosalie noticed first and started calling Bella's name, softly at first, and then a little louder.

"Bella?" She called. "Bella? Bella, open your eyes."

"I'm going to call Carlisle, Rose. Keep talking to her and trying to get her to open her eyes." I said.

"Bella, can you hear me?" She asked as I stepped from the room.

I made my way down the hall and down the stairs to the living room, pulled out my cell phone and dialed Carlisle at the hospital.

"Edward. Is something wrong?" Carlisle asked when he answered.

"No, nothing is wrong. I believe Bella is coming round though. Rosalie is still sitting with her trying to get her to open her eyes and respond."

"Don't force her into waking. I'm packing up now and I'll be home in about fifteen minutes. If she does wake, try to get her talking, don't let her get excited or move around too much. I don't want her pulling any stitches. If she does wake and gets sleepy, let her fall back asleep. She needs rest."

"I'll see to it. Anything else?" I asked.

"That should be all for now. Oh, don't let her drink large gulps of water. Small sips, or even better, ice chips. Her stomach may not be able to handle much more than that."

"Got it. We'll see you soon." I replied and closed the phone, sliding it back into my pocket.

I turned around to see Alice standing half in the room and half out. Her eyes were completely glazed over and she was swaying in place.

"Jasper." I said no louder than if he'd been in the same room as us. He was there in the blink of an eye.

We both watched Alice carefully, Jasper monitoring her emotions while I peeked into her mind. Different situations were playing out dramatically for Alice to watch. Some one was unable to make up their mind, however the situation would always end the same, Bella would die.

Finally, Alice gasped and just as her knees gave out and she started to buckle and fall, Jasper gathered her into his arms and cradled her to his chest, Alice's arm snaking around his neck to hug herself to him.

"You saw whatever that was?" Jasper asked me.

I nodded in reply and he turned and started up the stairs to their room, sending waves of calm to me. I smiled a small thank you, as I needed all the calm I could get right about then.

I took a moment to gather myself, then I too, headed up the stairs and back to Bella's bedside.

Esme was waiting at the top of the stairs for me.

"Will you _please_ take over sitting with Bella so I may steal Rose and Alice away for a shopping trip?" Esme begged me.

Chuckling softly I replied, "I would be delighted. Also, I think Alice really needs it right now. She just saw something rather disturbing and could use a happy distraction."

"Is everything alright?" She asked.

"It will be. What she saw doesn't appear to be taking place before winter, or at least the first snowfall, and by then, I'm sure she'll have seen something more clearly and we'll be able to prevent it from happening." I assured her with more confidence than I was currently feeling.

"If you are sure." Esme said cautiously.

"I am. Take the girls, have fun. Besides, all of the lumber has been delivered for the bookshelves, correct?"

"Yes, it was dropped off yesterday." Esme answered.

"Then while you are gathering Alice and Rose, why not ask Jasper and Emmett to get started building the bookshelves and by the time all of that is done, Carlisle will be home and be able to sit with Bella, and I'll arrange her music and books for her." I said.

"Carlisle is on his way then?" She asked.

"Yes. Bella began to stir about ten minutes ago and I called Carlisle to let him know. He should be here in about five minutes or so." I answered.

"Good, then you can also help your brothers with those shelves. Perhaps you three should check with Alice and Rosalie to see if they have a color scheme picked out, and maybe you could paint the shelves as well."

"That's an excellent idea. I'll just head in and tell Rose to get ready to go and sit with Bella until Carlisle arrives." I said and went into see Rosalie speaking to a now semi-awake Bella.

"Can you open your eyes any further?" Rosalie asked her.

"Carlisle will be here soon." I informed them. "In the mean time, why don't we allow Bella to come round at her own pace."

"Shouldn't we be trying to get her to wake up more?" Rose asked.

"Carlisle said to let her wake up slowly and if she falls back asleep to let her. Her body needs the rest to heal. Also, we're not to let her move around too much or get overly excited if she does wake. Rather, _I_ am not to let that happen. _You_ need to go and get ready to go shopping with Alice and Esme." I told her.

"Shopping for what?" She replied.

"For Bella's new wardrobe and bedroom furniture and whatever else you girls think she'll need and/or want, of course. Oh, and if there is going to be any kind of color scheme, you need to let your husband and Jasper know so we can get those shelves built and painted."

"Oh, not only is there going to be a color scheme, there is going to be a theme!" Alice supplied cheerfully from the doorway.

"I'm glad to see you feeling better." I said to Alice. "You know we won't allow that to happen. Besides, we have some time before any snow is on the ground, plenty of time to come up with a plan."

"I know." Alice said with a smile. "I've already seen. The whole scenario has changed. Whoever that is has made up their mind as to what they want to do and how to go about doing it. The moment you came up with a plan, everything changed. I'm just not sure what, exactly, your plan is."

"It's really rather simple." I replied with a shrug.

"Do tell." Jasper said as he and Emmett made their way into the room.

"Well, the easiest thing to do is to have Alice keep her eye on Bella. As soon as she sees something, we'll all be there to prevent it from happening." I answered.

"Simple, yet, effective. Nice." Jasper said.

"I like it. It's so simple, I don't think there is a way to mess anything up." Emmett commented.

"Thank you, I think." I said. 

Every one chuckled and then turned to look at Bella. Her eyes were half open and she appeared to be trying to open them all the way. There was a look of confusion on her face, and I could hear her heartbeat picking up slightly.

"She's nervous." Jasper informed us.

"I don't think she can see very well." Rosalie said. "If you look at her eyes, they are kind of hazy looking and she doesn't seem to be able to open them all the way either."

"That," Carlisle said from the door, "is probably due the amount of time she's been asleep. Her mind hasn't made up whether it wants to be conscious or not yet."

"What should we do then?" Rosalie asked.

"We wait and see what Bella decides to do." Carlisle answered.

"In the meantime," Esme said, "we girls are going shopping, and you boys," she indicated my brothers and me, "get going on those shelves. Alice, Rose, a color scheme so they know what color to paint the shelves when they are finished building them, please."

"Paint them in a honey color wood stain, if you would please. And put a glaze on as well so they are easier to dust too." Alice said.

"Anything else?" Emmett asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, actually." Alice answered. "We'll get the furniture first, so please have that put together where we've designated so that when we get home, we can put everything directly away. Oh, and Edward, thank you."

"What for, exactly?" I asked.

"The shelves will be beautiful when you are finished with them." Alice answered, an appreciative smile on her face.

"Then you are quite welcome." I replied.

"What do you mean, 'when Edward is done with them'? Aren't Jasper and I going to be building them?" Emmett asked.

"Well, yes, but Edward is going to help with that, and he already knows exactly which stain to use and which glaze. Also, he's going to take over the finishing the construction when you and Jasper decide to have a contest to determine the winner of some argument you will be having." Alice answered.

Everyone had a good laugh and then the girls left for their shopping trip.

"Carlisle?" I asked. "Will you be needing me for anything?"

"I don't think so. I don't think Bella is quite ready to be in the waking world yet. I'm going to just check over her bandages and stitches and wait for her to come round the rest of the way." He answered.

"Alright then. I'm going to help with those shelves. Hopefully we can get them built, at least, before they get into whatever argument Alice saw." I replied.

We both shook our heads and chuckled and I headed out of the room and down the hall.

Emmett and Jasper had already started on framing the shelves out. I got the stain ready and as Jasper and Emmett finished with one set of shelves, I set to getting the first set done. Just as I was finishing, they handed me the second set and before I was even halfway done with those, the argument started.

"Are you seriously trying to have me believe that your BMW could take my Audi?" Jasper asked incredulously.

"Have you believe? No. Telling you it's true? Yes." Emmett replied.

"You _can't_ possibly tell me you honestly believe that!" Jasper exclaimed.

"Not only can I tell you I believe that, I can prove it's true." Emmett countered.

"Oh really? And just _how_ do you intend to prove it?" Jasper demanded.

"Easily enough. We'll race." Emmett shrugged.

Jasper threw his hammer down and Emmett put the shelf he was holding down, then both of them glared at each other.

"To the border and back again." Jasper said.

"Works for me." Emmett replied.

"Which border?" I asked.

"Alaska." Jasper and Emmett said at the same time.

"You do know that's a three hour drive one way on a good day?" I inquired.

"Yes, and?" Emmett asked.

"Just curious." I replied.

"I'll see you down stairs in five minutes." Jasper challenged and left the room.

"Sorry to leave you like this Ed, but I can't just let him challenge me like that and then _not_ prove him wrong." Emmett apologized.

"It's not a problem Emmett." I said. "Besides, you two were almost done with the shelves, it won't take me long to finish putting them together and then stain them."

"I'll help you get the books and CDs organized and up when we get back." He promised.

"I'll hold you to it. It'll probably take that long for the stain and glaze to dry. Plus, by then, the girls will have had the furniture delivered." I said.

Emmett nodded and started to head off.

"Oh, and Emmett?"

"Yeah?"

"I think your BMW will win, especially with you behind the wheel, but don't cheat, you know he won't take that very well. Then you'll need to get _another_ new car. Don't forget what he did the last time you cheated in a race." I warned.

"Oh, you mean that time that I cut him off and then kicked up so much dust he couldn't figure out which route I'd taken?" He asked laughing.

"That would be the time." I replied.

"I haven't forgotten, and I have no intentions of cheating this time either. It's just a simple matter of proving him incorrect on his view of the facts." Emmett said.

"Well, in that case, good luck brother." I said.

"Thanks." Emmett said and waved as he headed to follow Jasper outside.

Chuckling to myself, I got back to work on staining the rest of the second set of shelves. After I'd done that, I finished putting together the rest of the shelves, including the set for the CDs, then stained everything. After I was done with the staining, I went back to the first set and began the glazing. I was about two thirds of the way done when the door bell rang. I headed down and opened the door to the men delivering the furniture. I had them leave it all in the living room so I could finish the glazing, and then got back to work.

Just as I was finishing up, Emmett and Jasper came back in. Emmett started in on the gloating immediately.

"Who won?" I asked innocently.

Jasper scowled at me and Emmett chuckled while calmly stating, "I did, just as I said I would."

"And what, precisely, did you win?" Carlisle asked as he stepped into the doorway.

"A race to the border and back." Emmett replied.

"What time did you two leave?" Carlisle asked as he looked at his watch.

"Ah … about six and a half hours ago." Jasper answered while rubbing the back of his neck and looking at the floor.

"Well, then, in that case, because you two left Edward to do most of the work on the shelves – which have turned out beautifully, by the way, Edward – you can be the ones to bring up the furniture which was delivered earlier today and put it together." Carlisle admonished them.

"And while you are doing that, Carlisle, there is something I need to speak with you about." I said.

Jasper and Emmett looked at each other, shrugged, and then headed downstairs.

"What is it?" Carlisle asked.

"I know how Bella's old injuries keep coming back." I answered.

Shock colored Carlisle's face. "How?"

"The female that Rose tangled with when they came for Bella. She has an ability. When she touched Bella on the shoulder, she made it possible, as long as she is connected to the person connected to Bella's mind, to "re-injure" her." I explained.

"Thank God she's learned how to protect her mind, even from you." Carlisle replied.

"Someone is definitely looking out for her now." Jasper said as he came back carrying a large box.

"It's about time." Emmett put in carrying two nightstands.

"It definitely is." I added. "But, why even from me Carlisle?"

"You don't see?" He asked.

"Honestly? No." I replied.

"Because, if, for some reason, you were connected to Bella, and that female got to you, the damage that could be done is unimaginable." Carlisle explained.

"Besides," Emmett said, "it's about time _someone_ around here gets to have a little privacy in their own head."

"I try to give all of you as much privacy as I am able." I blanched.

"Relax Ed. I'm just kidding around." Emmett replied.

"Turning back to Carlisle I asked, "So, how is she doing?"

"Much better. She's sleeping still. All of the sedatives should be out of her system by morning, so she'll be more able to be fully awake. I'll keep her in that room until I'm positive she won't pull any stitches from being moved, a couple of days at least, and then we'll move her in here."

Nodding in acknowledgment, I began moving the shelves to the walls, Carlisle giving me a hand. Once they were all in place and anchored, Emmett and Jasper put the bed together and placed it against the wall. I then began unpacking and organizing the books, by genre first and then by author and as promised, Emmett helped.

"Why don't Jasper and I finish this and you do the music Ed?" Emmett suggested.

"Okay." I answered. I'd been stealing glances at the boxes of CDs for a good portion of the day.

Once I was satisfied with the order, two hours later, I helped finish with the books.

"Were you planning on Bella never having to leave the house again?" Chuckled Jasper teasingly.

"Would that really be so bad?" Emmett replied.

"Yes, actually." Jasper answered. "Because, eventually, she's going to have to face the real world again. She'll have to conquer her fears and live her life. If we make it so she never has to go outside again, she won't ever be able to do any of that."

"But at least we'd know she's safe." Emmett murmured.

"While true, not the point, I'm afraid." Jasper said, clapping Emmett on the back.

We quickly finished with the books and go the rest of the furniture into the room and into order.

Standing by the doorway, I looked over the layout of the room. The queen sized sleigh bed la against the wall to the right of the door, facing the east-facing window wall, perfect for watching a sunrise, a nightstand had been placed on either side of the bed. On the north and south wall, we'd placed the floor to ceiling shelves that ran three quarters of each wall. The north wall started just after the open door, the south wall started at the windows. Following the books on the south wall, the shelves containing CDs had been placed next followed by the stereo. On the north wall, following the books on this side, a large desk had been placed. A vanity had been set up in front of the windows directly across from the door. In the corner, where the north wall met the east windows, a door led into a very large walk-in closet. No dresser had been purchased, however, drawers had already been built-in to the closet with plenty of room for Alice to over indulge Bella to her heart's content.

"Well, gentlemen," Jasper said. "I believe our work here is done."

"At least until the girls get home." Carlisle interjected.

Laughing, we headed out of the room and down the hall to our separate rooms. I slipped into my own room, showered, changed, and then went to sit with Bella.

When I stepped into the room, I was pleasantly surprised to find Bella awake and attempting to sit up.

"Bella, what are you doing?" I asked.

Bella's struggles ceased and she turned her head slowly toward me.

"I was hoping to sit up a little, but I can't get myself up." She replied a little sadly.

Her voice was hoarse and she cleared her throat several times.

"Here." I said, handing her a couple of ice chips.

Bella sucked on them hungrily. The coolness soothing her parched and raw throat.

"Better?" I asked.

"Much. Thank you Edward." She replied.

"As for sitting up, why don't we start with just a little bit for now? No need to push your ribs too far right away." I suggested.

I grabbed a few of the extra pillows from next to Bella's head, then, going slowly, I lifted Bella and propped the pillows behind her and then helped her settle back against them.

"How's that?" I asked.

"Better, thank you." She breathed.

"How's the pain?" I asked seeing Bella grimace.

"Manageable." She answered.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"I'm okay, but thank you."

"Would you like me to read to you, or perhaps turn on some music, or, maybe you'd like to go back to sleep?"

"Can you just … talk to me?" 

"Of course. What would you like to talk about?"

"I don't really care, to be honest. I've been, I don't know, stuck in my own head, I guess, for the longest time. I just want to hear another familiar voice, or, rather, a friendly familiar voice."

"I understand completely."

I pulled a chair up next to the bed, got good and comfortable and then began prattling on about whatever came into my head.

"Well, you haven't missed much at school."

I talked for a little over an hour before Bella fell back to sleep. I'd been careful to keep the conversation one sided so she wouldn't feel too taxed. After she fell asleep, I pushed the chair back to its corner, then sat on the edge of the bed and just held Bella's hand. Then I just watched her sleep until Esme, Rosalie, and Alice returned from shopping.


	18. Chapter 16

Bella's sleep, while light, had been restless. Jasper had to come in several times to calm her. At first, we'd worried that Phil had managed to get back into Bella's mind. As it turned out, _I_ couldn't even get into her mind again. Whatever this was, it was not being caused by another person, at least, not directly.

A few hours after Bella had fallen back asleep, Esme, Rosalie and Alice returned home. I could hear the car pulling up to the house, as well as a second vehicle, and I could hear the excited thoughts running through their minds.

"Edward," Carlisle said softly as he poked his head in, "they could use a hand getting everything in. I swear, they must have bought out every clothing store in the state." He chuckled.

"I'll be down in a moment." I answered.

"I know you don't want to leave her alone, Edward, but she'll be fine."

"I just worry about the restlessness while she sleeps. Jasper has already been in several times. After all she's been through, it _is_ understandable, but she needs the sleep to heal."

"I know, I worry about it myself. I'm considering giving her the option of sedation so she can have peaceful sleep on her own."

"I really don't think that's the best of notions. She's been under so much sedation already it's a wonder she can get to sleep at all on her own now. No, I think this is her own min coming up with its own scenarios now. Or, perhaps, she is subconsciously keeping herself from getting into any kind of deep sleep for fear of letting her guard down. At any rate, I really don't think she should be left alone for any length of time, at least for the time being. "

"Perhaps you are correct. I'll send Esme in, and then you can help your siblings and me."

The door closed quietly behind Carlisle as he left the room.

"What do you dream about I wonder." I whispered to Bella. "What wonders do you see behind those beautiful eyes, what thoughts do you ponder? More importantly, how do you do what you do to me? My heart has not bead in ninety years, yet, around you I feel as if it beats as quickly as a humming bird's wings. I second-guess if I am saying the right things, or finding myself looking for excuses to hold your hand or touch your hair. I cannot remember ever being so flustered or unsure of my actions or myself. I don't know what this is, Bella, but while the self doubt is deplorable to me, I find that I would go through this and worse for you."

"**That**, my dear, is called love."

At the sound of her voice, I jumped and turned around startled.

"Edward. I'm surprised at you. I can't believe you didn't hear me coming." Esme laughed.

"I'm sorry, I was rather deep in thought."

"So I gathered. I'll sit with Bella now. Go help your siblings."

"Thank you."

"It is, quite honestly, my pleasure."

After unloading enough clothing to stock Bella's own store, followed by bedding and knick-knacks for her room, Jasper and Emmett made a hasty retreat.

"Edward?" Rosalie called just as I was about to make my own exit.

"Yes, Rose?"

"How do you have the books organized?"

"By genre and then alphabetically by author within that frame."

"And the music?"

"Alphabetically by artist. But you didn't want to talk about books or music, did you?"

"You know me too well. No, I didn't. How long do you think it will be until Bella is able to return to school?"

"Next week probably. Why?"

"And what are we supposed to tell every one?"

"Actually, I've been thinking about that." Alice said as she entered with four more bags. "Don't worry; these are the last of them. Anyway, Carlisle already let the school know there had been a set back in Bella's recovery. If any one asks, we'll just tell them Bella tried too much too soon and re-upset some old injuries. Though, to be honest, I highly doubt any one will ask us anything about Bella. We will have to keep an eye on her at school though because while human instincts tell those children to avoid us for their own preservation, they have no reason to avoid Bella, and she is the newest anomaly in this little town to come around since, well, we moved here." Alice shrugged and walked into the already full closet.

"Was there something else Rose?" I asked.

"Um. No. Not right now anyway." She answered while fingering some of the books.

"Alright." I replied and then left to relieve Esme.

It took two days for Alice and Rosalie to get Bella's room "absolutely perfect" in Alice's words. It was now time to move Bella in.

"Bella, please allow one of us to carry you." Rosalie pleaded. "Otherwise, Alice's excuse for why your recovery took longer than expected will be the _real_ reason it took so long."

We watched as Bella's expression hardened with determination as she grabbed her crutches and pushed slowly up off the bed.

"You are determined to shave years off of my life span, aren't you?" Emmett sighed.

"Is that even possible?" Bella asked as she leveled a glare at Emmett.

"It's a figure of speech, go with it." He replied.

We laughed and Bella chuckled then winced.

"Don't make me laugh. It hurts." She chided.

Slowly, Bella made her way from the bed to the door.

"How you doing?" Emmett asked.

"Fine." She answered a little breathless. "Alice is probably getting impatient for me to see this surprise though, and if we want to get there by the end of this year, we'd better get started."

"You two go ahead. I'll keep pace with Bella." I suggested to Emmett and Rosalie.

"Alright, fine. But you make sure she gets down there in one piece. Her last foray on those things…" Rosalie started.

"Death traps." Bella muttered.

"…didn't go very well." Rosalie finished while stifling a chuckle.

"I'll make sure." I promised.

"I'm actually surprised I'm well enough to be using these things at all honestly." Bella said after Rosalie and Emmett were gone.

"Carlisle thinks that your old injuries are healing faster because they were influenced by the female that was able to re-cause them while Phil was in your mind."

"Is it a bad thing that I can't remember very much?"

"Not really. It was quite traumatic for one thing. And for another, most of it was happening on a subconscious level. If you'd like, I can fill you in on the particulars later."

"Thanks, but for now, I think I'm better off not knowing."

About halfway down the hall, Bella paused.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. Just need a little breather."

"Let me know when you're ready. We've got all day."

"No we do **not**!" Alice yelled from Bella's room.

Bella rolled her eyes, but started down the rest of the way anyway.

By the time we made it to the doorway, Bella was completely out of breath and had started sweating.

"Who knew a trip down a hallway could be a full body workout?" Bella chuckled.

"Ready for this?" I asked.

"Uh, yes. Just go in first so Alice doesn't tackle me."

"She won't, but I'll go first anyway."

I pushed the door open and stepped inside then turned and waited for Bella to follow. She cautiously made her way into the room. When she looked up, she gasped and looked around.

A clicking noise caught my attention a moment before Bella's.

"Esme?" Bella questioned.

"I just wanted to document this rather momentous occasion." Esme explained.

"This…all of this," Bella gestured around herself to the room, "is for me?"

"Yes! Your very own room! Emmett and I picked out all of the books and most of the music, Edward added quite a few as well. The boys built all of the shelves themselves and put together the furniture while Alice, Esme and I bought all of the clothes and … Bella? Are you alright?" Rosalie asked concerned.

Bella nodded her head and looked away, discreetly wiping at her eyes.

"I'm fine. Thank you, all of you." Bella replied gratefully.

"Bella," Carlisle stepped forward placing his hand on her shoulder, only frowning slightly as she involuntarily flinched, "you are a member of this family now. Never doubt that there isn't anything we wouldn't do for you, and that includes making you feel as at home here as possible."

"I … I don't know what to say. I've never had a real family before, or such nice things, or so many things, for that matter. With the exception of Jasper, I don't think you could ever know how grateful I am."

Everyone laughed and then started conversing about the room. Bella slowly made her way around the room looking everything over with great admiration. We could all tell how much she cherished everything.

She came to a sudden stop at her desk and gasped.

Carlisle and Esme were by her side instantaneously.

"What is it Bella?" Carlisle asked concerned.

"My photos. You framed them." She replied.

"I hope you don't mind." Alice said. "We also took a few more so that you have a few of everyone now. I also picked out a couple of albums for you to fill up."

"Thank you…so much." Bella whispered.

"Perhaps we should leave Bella to explore a little on her own for a while?" Esme suggested.

"Oh. No. You don't have to." Bella said.

"You really should at least sit down Bella." Carlisle told her. "I can see you have over exerted yourself for today."

"It's a special occasion." She replied. "Besides, I haven't seen every one this happy in a while. It's a nice change."

"I know what you mean." Jasper said. "It's rather refreshing."

"Alright, a deal then. We will stay and celebrate with you for a while, but you must lie down. You've been up and around for longer than I'd normally allow so soon." said Carlisle.

"You have a deal." Bella replied as she extended her hand which Carlisle shook gently. "But, could I ask a favor?"

"Of course." Esme answered.

"I'm a little thirsty. I didn't realize making it down the hall would be such a work out."

"I'll be right back with water for you." Esme said and left chuckling.

Emmett and I helped Bella into bed and Rosalie and Alice sat on either side of her. Esme came back with some bottles of water and the pain medication Carlisle had put Bella on and placed them on the nightstand next to the bed.

Jasper and Emmett stood by the window discussing the next extended hunting trip, Carlisle and Esme stood near the door observing how happy everyone was and how it was such a nice change, while Rose and Alice sat with Bella telling her about all of the shopping that had been done to prepare the room. Their conversation then turned to all of the places they would take Bella once she was well enough.

"Uh…no, really, that's okay. I trust you two, honestly. Besides, I would just slow you down and um…" Bella said.

"Honestly Bella. How are you going to make sure your clothes fit properly if you aren't there to try them on yourself?" Rosalie asked.

"Well, uh. What about Alice?" She replied.

"What about me?" Alice asked.

"Well, could you just…I don't know… "see" if the clothes would fit...or something?" Bella said.

"Well, yes, I could, but picking things out on your own is much more fun!" Alice replied.

"Wait a minute! Bella! Are you actually _afraid_ of going shopping?" Rosalie asked, astonished.

"_Go_ shopping? No. Go shopping with you two? Absolutely terrified." Bella replied.

Everyone except Bella, who was dead serious, and Alice and Rosalie, who were only slightly put out, erupted into laughter.

"Alice, Rosalie," Esme started. "You _can_ be a little much at times."

"A **LITTLE**?!" Emmett exclaimed. "The last time I went shopping with those two, we had to have most of their purchases delivered to the house because it wouldn't fit in the car, not to mention how close we came to exposure as we were each walking around with close to seventy five pounds of bags on our arms."

The laughter continued as did the mock bickering and the shopping horror stories, much to Bella's amusement.

After another hour, I noticed Bella had become quite. At some point she had put her head on Alice's shoulder and fallen asleep.

"Happened about ten minutes ago." Alice told me quietly.

"What did?" Carlisle asked.

Rosalie motioned to Bella and shushed the room.

"Ah. We should let her rest. It's been an exhausting afternoon for her." Esme said.

"I think I'll stay for a bit." I said.

"Alright. If she wakes, make sure she takes her medication." Carlisle instructed.

"I will." I assured him. And then I was alone with her.

Bella slept peacefully for two full hours but then started making whimpering sounds and then became restless. This continued for another thirty minutes and just as I was about to try to wake her, Bella opened her eyes wide and yelled "NO!" as she sat upright in bed.

"Bella?" I asked.

She was breathing heavily and her eyes were still a bit hazy with sleep, though recognition was happening quickly. Just as quickly, Bella remembered her ribs. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shut her eyes tightly and started trying to regulate her breathing. I heard a very quiet moan as she slowly eased herself back down.

"Let's get you some pain medication." I said softly.

After she'd taken the pills, Bella didn't want to go back to sleep.

"Were you having a nightmare?"

"Yes." She sighed. "It seemed so _real_, Edward."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Honestly? No. It's nothing personal, but, dreaming is one thing, talking about it is another."

"I understand. So, what would you like to do?"

"How about…um…listen to some music?"

"Any requests?" I asked as I moved to the shelves of CDs.

"Surprise me."

I selected six CDs and put them into the stereo on shuffle. And for the rest of the evening, we listened to music and discussed our likes and dislikes.

Over the course of the evening, I noticed that Bella's mood did not improve, and had not improved at all by the time it was time for her to go to sleep for the night.

Alice and Rosalie came to help Bella change for the night and I took the time to find Jasper.

"She's having nightmares." I explained.

"Again?" he asked.

"Yes. Maybe you should keep an eye on her tonight. Help her if she needs it." I suggested.

"Okay, I'll keep my on her for the next few days, see how she does. Maybe it's just because of all that's happened. She really hasn't had much time to process everything."

"I know. I think there's more to it than that though. She seems down, she has ever since she woke up. I asked her what she remembers; it isn't much, but still…"

"I'll keep an eye on her, don't worry."

"Thanks Jasper. I appreciate it."

"Of course. You know, you really should tell her Ed."

"Tell her what?"

"Don't play that with me. Besides, you might be surprised with the response you get."

"Why are you translating the alphabet into Dutch?"

"So you don't peak. I know all of your tricks, little brother."

"I'm just trying to give her the time she needs."

"That...and you are chicken."

"Hardly."

"Then tell her. Tomorrow. Take her to where ever it is you go when you sneak off on your own and tell her."

"But…"

"No buts. Just do it. Besides, if you don't, Alice will do it for you. You know how she can be with big secrets like this one."

"Fine." I sighed and then went back upstairs followed by Jasper.

"I'll be in my room. I can feel her just fine from there." He said turning away.

Soon, Alice and Rose came out.

"All changed. Thank goodness Carlisle put her on those meds. Even with the pain dulled all that moving around had her wincing like crazy." Rosalie commented.

"It's probably from when she woke up. She'd had a bad dream and sat up before I could stop her." I said.

"Oh, ouch." Rosalie breathed as she headed off to find Emmett.

"So, tomorrow's the day. Finally! I wasn't sure how much longer I could sit on this. You really do like to test my will power, don't you?"

"I'm sorry Alice." I smiled. "I just don't want to rush anything, not with everything else going on."

"I understand. And don't worry about tomorrow. No decisions have been made, so I can't see what she's going to say, but I've seen you both very happy in the near future. Good night Edward."

With a smile on my face, I happily rejoined Bella.

"Edward, would you read to me for a while?"

"Of course."

"Thank you. You have a very soothing voice."

"You are more than welcome Bella."

I picked a book with a collection of Jane Austen works and began reading Pride and Prejudice. Five pages in, Bella was fast asleep.

I put the book down and used the night to plan tomorrow. I would make the day as peaceful as possible for Bella. We would have a picnic, and just talk. I would bring along the book I had started tonight and read to her. She would see me in the sun for the first time. I wondered what her reaction would be. I had a million questions for her. I would ask as many as I could tomorrow. I thought of how I would tell her my feelings for her. I wondered what she would say in response. I spent the rest of the night thinking about how to tell her. Eventually, I decided to just wing it. Tomorrow, she would know how I feel. Tomorrow.


	19. Chapter 17

Disclaimer

Once again I realize that I forgot to add the disclaimer to the beginning of the last chapter. But really don't feel like getting slapped with a copyright infringement lawsuit, so, here it is…I own nothing, I bow down before the master that is Ms. Meyer.

I know I've been gone for quite some time, lots and lots going on. I have a place of my own now, I also finally have internet so I can get back to writing and _posting_ again. And on that note…on with the show!

EPOV

As the sun slowly rose above the horizon, creating the most lovely pinks and purples reflected across the clouds, Bella began to stir. It had been a rough night for her, though Jasper says it was not from any dreams from what he could tell. He guessed she was probably in a bit of pain from all of the moving around she'd done yesterday, using muscles that were unused to being used, moving joints that hadn't been moved in some time, and the general overall pain and physical of healing.

"Good morning." I smiled at her.

"Good morning." She yawned back. "What did you do all night?"

"Nothing much. You didn't do anything very entertaining while you slept, though, you did say my name a time or two."

"Oh God. That's _so_ embarrassing." 

"I quite enjoyed it, actually."

"Did I say anything else?"

"Nothing coherent, I assure you."

Alice chose that moment to make an entrance.

'Edward, go pack Bella a lunch and whatever else you are planning to bring with you. I'll help her get read.'

'Thank you Alice.'

"Okay Edward. Girl time. Away with you!" Alice shooed me out of the room.

"Can't I just go back to bed or something?" Bella asked, obviously weary of whatever Alice might have in store for her.

"Nope. Now, let's see. I'll run you a bath and by the time that's done you should have hobbled your way to doorway." Alice giggled.

"Alice, be nice." I warned.

"I was." She assured me.

I left them to prepare for the day ahead.

By midmorning, I had everything Bella and I would need packed and by the front door. I decided to make a quick trip while Bella finished getting ready. Grabbing the picnic basket, blanket and Bella's crutches, which Alice had snuck down to me while Bella was in the bath, as well as a portable cd player. I went to the one place that was mine alone, the one place I could be truly alone, both physically and mentally.

Arriving back home, I walked in to hear Alice scolding Bella.

"While you _please_ just hold still? I promise I'm not going to do anything drastic, just a little here and there."

There was a pause and for just a moment I though Bella had relented and given in to Alice's persistence. 

"No! Alice, I don't want to. Why can't I just…"

"Bella!" Alice whined, cutting off the rest of whatever Bella had been going to say.

I cautiously made my way up the stairs only to be stopped by Jasper. 

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you Ed."

"So I can hear. But if I don't, who will rescue Bella?"

Jasper chuckled and followed me.

"What is going on in here?" I asked staring into the room.

Bella was sitting at the vanity amid an impressive array of hair and facial products covering the floor and bed was possibly every piece of clothing that had previously inhabited the closet.

"Alice, what have you done?"

"What? It takes work to find the right combination of top and bottom. Then there is the hair and there _would_ be make up too, but she won't let me get anywhere near her! She's being quite stubborn."

"You are enjoying your freedom now aren't you?" Jasper asked.

"It _is_ nice to be to say no and be listened to, yes." Bella replied. "Well, it would be nice, if I were _actually_ listened to anyway."

"I think I liked it more when you just went along with whatever I told you to do." Alice pouted.

"She's not five Alice. She has every right to do whatever she wants and that includes declining when she doesn't want something." Jasper said calmly. "Now, why don't we go and watch a movie downstairs?"

Sighing dramatically, Alice said, "Fine. But I will be back Bella, even if I have to wait until you are asleep to do it." She vowed.

"But then you'd have to contend with Edward. I know he won't let you near me with that evil stuff. Right Edward?"

"Not a chance." I assured her.

"There! See?" Bella teased.

"I'll find a way or a reason." Alice promised as she and Jasper left.

"Now then. Are you ready for the day?" I asked.

"I guess, but Alice snuck off with my crutches. I think she was considering trapping me here."

"Actually, that's my fault. I have a surprise for you." 

"What kind of surprise?" Bella asked suspiciously.

"We're going out today." 

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean…the last time I went outdoors, well…" 

"You will be perfectly safe today. I've already had Alice check." 

"Where are we going?"

"That is part of the surprise."

"Oh. Well, then, what will we be doing?"

"Also part of the surprise."

"When are we leaving?"

"Right now, if you are ready." 

"Am I dressed okay for whatever we're doing wherever it is we're going?"

"You are dressed just fine. That shade of blue looks lovely on you, by the way." 

Bella blushed and muttered a shy thank you. 

"Without your crutches, I'll have to carry you." I said as I bent to lift her and cradled her against my chest.

"I'm not too heavy, am I?" she asked.

"Silly Bella." I laughed. "You are light as a feather to me."

"Oh." 

I walked down the stairs and towards the door where we were stopped by Alice.

"Edward, just so you know, the sun will be out later this afternoon." 

"Thank you Alice." I replied.

Nodding, Alice went back to the living room to resume watching whatever movie Jasper and she were watching.

I stopped to pick up a back pack I'd prepared and then headed outside.

I placed Bella gently in the front seat of my car and closed the door. By the time she had her seatbelt done I was already in and starting the car.

We pulled out of the drive and then onto the main road. Ten minutes later I merged onto the highway. Fifteen minutes later Bella yelled out "Edward!"

"What's wrong?" I asked nervously.

"Slow down! Did you notice how fast you are going?" 

"Bella, we'll be fine. My driving record is impeccable. I've never even been pulled over." I tapped my temple. "Built in radar." 

"Even still. What if we crash? You may be able to walk away without a scratch, but I won't." 

"No." I sighed. "You wouldn't." I took my foot off the gas and slowed down to a slower 85 miles per hour.

"Better, I guess." Bella sighed.

The next fifteen minutes were quiet with the exception of the radio. I exited off the highway and ten minutes later pulled off the road.

"What are we stopping for?" Bella asked looking around.

"We've run out of road." I answered pointing out the windshield.

"So, the surprise is you've taken me to the end of a road?" Bella asked confused.

"No." I chuckled. "We'll be running the rest of the way." 

"What?"

"We'll have to run from here, Bella."

"R.r.run?" Bella stammered taking in her surroundings.

The road ended at a dense forest. If one looked closely enough, they would see a barely visible path. Large boulders stood all around the tree line, and pine needles covered the ground.

"Yes." I chuckled. "It's not far. Just put your arms around my neck and I'll do all the work."

Slowly, she reached up and put her arm around my neck.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Okay." She answered quietly.

And then we were off. I headed into the heart of the trees. A human would barely be able to see the path and though I did not need it, the path was still the quickest part to the trip.

The run lasted for only twenty minutes, but it was exhilarating. I stopped at the edge of the tree line noticing that the sun had made its predicted appearance.

"I've stopped now Bella, you can let go."

But Bella didn't let go, if anything, her grip seemed to have tightened.

"Bella?"

"I think I just…need a minute."

"Are you all right?" I was beginning to grow concerned now.

"Yes, just, I think I need to close my eyes next time."

"Take all the time you need. We have all day." I chuckled.

A few minutes later, Bella's breathing evened out and her grip loosened. 

"Better?"

"Yes." 

"I have something to show you Bella." 

"What is it?" she asked nervously.

"You haven't seen me in the sun yet." 

"You can go out in the sun? You won't burn up?"

"No." I chuckled. "That is a myth and before you ask, so are garlic, stakes to the heart, silver, and just about everything else you've ever heard, and you already know we can't sleep, and that there are no coffins."

I put Bella down, making sure she had herself well supported by a tree, took an unneeded, yet calming deep breath, and stepped slowly out into the sun.

Hearing a quiet gasp from behind me, I turned around to see a wide-eyed Bella. I quickly made my way back to her, ready to take her back to the car.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." I told her while keeping my eyes downcast.

"Fright…Edward, it, you, are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It was like a million tiny diamonds reflecting off of your skin. Show me again?" She asked.

"Come on" I said picking her back up. "We'll sit on the picnic blanket out toward the center of the meadow and as long as the sun is out, you'll see all you want."

When I placed Bella on the blanket, she got her first good look around.

"Oh Edward." She whispered. "This place is …beautiful." 

"It's where I come to be alone. Everyone is too far away from here to be able to hear in my head." 

"This is your secret place. Alice told me you have a place you sneak off to for peace and quiet, she didn't tell me how beautiful it is. I can see why you come here though, it's so peaceful you almost feel as if the rest of the world wouldn't be able to get at you here."

"Precisely, and now this is our meadow. I want you to have the same peace I do Bella. I think you'll be able to find that here."

"I can only hope." She muttered under her breath.

As much as I wanted to assure her, I knew only time would prove it to Bella. So, instead, I lay on my back next to her and unbuttoned my shirt to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. Bella shifted to a more comfortable position next to me and to my surprise, picked up my hand. She turned it palm up on her lap and began to trace the lines. The sensation was wonderful and I couldn't help the sigh of content that escaped my lips.

"I imagine that's exactly what a cat would do." Bella commented.

"No, a cat would be purring."

We sat peacefully for a time, Bella tracing the over the lines in my hand, occasionally going over my wrist and partially up my arm while I lay next to her…the most relaxed I had ever been.

"Are you getting hungry?" I asked softly sometime later, not wanting to disturb our peace or startle her.

"A little." She answered in a whisper.

I sat up and unpacked the picnic basket I'd brought earlier. As Bella began to eat, I rummaged around in the backpack and pulled out a handful of cds. Choosing one at random, I placed it in the portable cd player and hit play.

Bella ate and listened in silence and then asked, "Who is this?"

"Actually, it's one of mine. I composed this one for Esme, it's her favorite." 

"Wow. You really are good at everything." She replied sounding sufficiently impressed.

"I just realized how little of the house you've seen. I'll star the grand tour tomorrow and we'll finish on Saturday what with how slow you are on those crutches."

Bella playfully punched my shoulder and then shook her hand out. "What are you made out of granite?" That's when we both broke down with laughter.

"Bella?" I asked when we'd both gotten ourselves back under control.

"Hm?"

"What is your favorite color?"

"Midnight blue. Why?"

"Just curious."

I let Bella eat after that, I just couldn't get myself to look away.

"What are you staring at?"

"I'm just wondering how you can enjoy eating that." 

"Well, how can you enjoy drinking blood?"

"Fair enough."

After Bella finished eating, I cleaned everything up and she laid down. As she got comfortable, I laid back down next to her.

"Bella?"

"Hm?"

"Who is your favorite author?"

"What is this, twenty questions day?" she chuckled. "Right now, my favorite author is Jane Austen." 

"Why?"

"Because…because of how it sounds when you read it to me." 

"What about your favorite genre of music?"

"Ummm…probably alternative." 

"Do you have a favorite band?"

"No."

"Favorite genre of music?"

"A romance or a comedy. They always have a happily ever after." 

"What did you like best about Phoenix?"

"There wasn't much to like there, or, well, I mean, I didn't really have much time to enjoy anything." 

"I'm sorry Bella." 

"Not your fault." 

"What do you like most about Forks?"

"Can I plead the fifth?"

"For now. I'll get back to that one later then." 

"What do you like least." 

I didn't think she was going to answer, but eventually she let out a sigh and said, "That you and your family are stuck with me, that I'm not strong enough to take care of myself and that it's a burden on all of you." 

"Bella! You can put that thought right out of your head. You are a member of this family now and in this family we help each other, we take care of each other. There is no burden to anyone. Do you understand me?"

"Mmhmm."

I knew she didn't fully believe me, but that is something else that would have to come with time.

"When am I going to start school again?" She asked making a deliberate change of topic.

"On Monday, if Carlisle thinks you are up for it." 

"So soon?! What about my inability to operate those crutches? What am I supposed to tell people about why I was only there for less than an hour on my first day?" She asked, clearly starting to panic.

"Bella, calm down. You will be fine. Some one will be with you at all times, we've already seen to that. You are going to have to play catch up with your classes and we'll all help you with that and you'll see all of us at lunch every day. I will be walking you to all of your classes too."

This seemed to have relaxed her somewhat.

"Would you like to know your schedule?"

"You already have it?" 

"Yes." I answered as I pulled the piece of paper from the back pack.

"First period you have English Lit with me. Second period you have History with Alice." Third is gym with Jasper and Emmett, though, you'll probably just sit to the side all year and have to do some form of study hall. Fourth is lunch with every one. Then, fifth period is biology with me again, sixth you have Spanish with Alice and then Algebra with me again." 

"I'm doomed!" Bella mumbled as she put her head in her hands.

"You are hardly 'doomed', Bella. We'll all help you." 

"_You_ may not have to sleep, but _I_ do Edward." 

"You'll be find, I promise."

Bella only groaned in response. I chuckled and then we lapsed into another comfortable silence.

My mind began to wander to when and how to tell Bella about my feelings for her. I had been musing for some time when Bella's voice broke through my thoughts.

"Edward?"

"Hm?"

"What are you thinking?"

"I thought I was supposed to be the one asking you that. Truthfully, I'm thinking about the best way to tell you something."

Bella sat up quickly. Her heart pounding in her chest gave away how much I'd just frightened her.

"Is it Charlie? Has he figured out how to get me? Or those others and Phil?"

"No…no, Bella. It's nothing bad. I promise. Calm down."

I held Bella tightly too me as I waited to for her heart to slow to a more reasonable rate and then calmed my own nerves by reminding myself of Alice's declaration that Bella and I were happy in the future.

"Bella, what would you say if I told you that I…I like you?"

"Well, I like you too Edward, but what do you have to tell me?"

"Okay," I chuckled. "Let me rephrase that question. What would you say if I told you I have deeper feelings than friendship for you?"

"Deeper….how, exactly?"

Clearly the only approach that would work on some one as sheltered as Bella would be the direct approach.

"Bella. I think, no, I know I am falling in love with you."

I had expected a fast reaction from her, but Bella just stared at me. I could see her mind piecing things together and let her work over my admission on her own.

"But…you…can't." She whispered.

"Why can't I?" 

"I'm not some one people love Edward, especially not some one like you. I mean, well, look at you and then look at me. I'm covered in scars for one thing and I'm plain looking for another. I don't have my own family or money either. But you…you are beautiful and extraordinary and you're surrounded by a family that loves you , and you are….well-off. I don't fit in with that, not at all. No. You shouldn't love me Edward. You should find some one who is actually _worthy_ of love, especially yours."

I had tried to interrupt several times, but Bella just kept talking. Finally I had an opening.

"Are you finished?"

"I…what?"

"Yes, Bella. You have scars. I think they are a sing of how strong you are, of how much you've had to endure and survive. You are by no means 'plain'. I think you are beautiful, I also think you don't see yourself very clearly.

You do have a family Bella. I told you before you are a member of _this_ family. You are a Cullen now, even if you choose not to take the name. Remember, none of us are related by blood. Hell, most of us don't even come from the same time period.

And as for money and/or wealth, that accumulates with time, especially when you don't have to purchase food.

You are so very worthy of love Bella. Not only the love of a family, but the love of a man as well. Like I said before, you don't see yourself very clearly, especially if you don't see any of that." 

"I see myself just fine. I know what I am. I've been told my entire life what I am."

Bella turned her head away in an attempt to hide the tears that she'd started to cry, but I could hear her quiet sniffles and smell the salty tears.

"You have been lied to your entire life in that case Bella. You are worthy of so much."

I held her hand as she cried as quietly as she could manage. I had grown angrier and angrier hearing Bella speak, not at her, of course, but at the ones who had dared to make her think the way she did.

After a short while, Bella calmed herself down, and then laid back down. I laid down beside her wondering what I could say or do to help her.

"Can I tell you something?" she asked without looking at me.

"Of course. Bella, you can always tell me anything – anytime." 

"Well, it's just…The moment I met you, I knew that we'd never be able to be friends. I was certain I'd develop a crush or something, but I never expected to develop anything beyond that. Then you – and your family – took me in and took care of me. It is the first time in my whole life I haven't had to fear being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't have to wish I were invisible anymore or make up stories to explain things away. I can breathe. Of course, then Phil came back. It's so wrong. I got him out of my head but I can't get him out of my dreams at night. Every time I close my eyes…all I see is all of you hurt in some way or another by him and those people with him. I don't think I'd be able to handle it if anything happened to any of you because of me, not after…" She trailed off.

"Not after your mother?" Bella, that wasn't your fault. You found her that way. You have no idea what let do it."

"Yes, actually, I do. One of my teachers had called. Some one had noticed a bruise on my side. Phil got the call before my mom could and make something up. He said I must have said something because my teacher hadn't believed him and had called the police and social services. Maybe that's how the police got there so fast. I hadn't really thought about it before. It's funny really. If I would have gotten home ten minutes later, the police would have gotten there before me. I wouldn't have been the one to find her, I wouldn't have been in the ICU…Okay, that's not actually funny, maybe ironic is a better word." 

"I believe it is, yes, or possibly tragic. Your nightmares then, the ones you wake up from in the middle of the night. Is that what you always see?"

"Mostly. I wish I could just not sleep, or not dream when I do manage to get to sleep. I've been terrified my whole life. You'd think I'd get a break in my dreams at least. There is a plus side though."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"When I wake up from those nightmares, you are holding me. You whisper soothing words and hum to me. You make me feel safe and not the way Emmett or Jasper do in their big brother way." 

"What are you saying exactly?"

"I'm saying that the only feelings I have toward your family are familial feelings. The feelings I have for you are not appropriate to have towards one's brother."

Bella reached out and touched my hand then, surprising us both with her boldness.

"I want you to hold very still. I'd like to try something."

"What?"

"I want to kiss you."

After a moment's hesitation, Bella closed her eyes and relaxed her whole body. She opened her eyes and slightly nodded her head. Taking a deep breath, I moved slowly over Bella. As cautiously as possible, I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. It was tentative and chaste at first. After a moment, however, the kiss deepened just a little, but enough to leave us both breathless.

"Wow." Bella whispered.

"My thoughts exactly."

"So, what does this mean?"

"If you want to put a label on it, I believe this makes us boyfriend and girlfriend."

"I think I'd like that." Bella sighed contentedly.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the outdoors. I read to Bella for a little while as we laid together in the shade of a large tree, Bella's head resting on my chest as I held her. At some point Bella dozed off and I covered her with the extra blanket.

The sun made a return appearance later in the afternoon. The sparkle coming off of my skin was enough to wake Bella.

"Beautiful." She breathed while studying my skin.

"Yes, you are." I told her.

"Can we stay here, like this, forever?"

"Unfortunately, no. Actually, we should be heading back soon." 

"Just a little longer then?"

"Just a little. I can't deny you anything it seems."

We lay together for another hour and then we packed up and got ready to go home.

"How did you get all of this out here?"

"I made a trip while you were getting ready this morning. I'll come back later and get the rest of these things." I explained as I slung the back pack on and then wrapped a blanket around Bella and picked her up.

"No running this time?"

"Not this time." I chuckled.

"Thank you Edward. This has been a wonderful day." Bella sighed as she rested her head on my shoulder.

After a few minutes, her breathing evened out and her heart slowed and I knew Bella was asleep.

"Yes Bella. Today was absolutely wonderful." I whispered and kissed her forehead.

I could only wonder how long this happiness would last.


	20. Chapter 18

Required chapterly disclaimer:

Required chapterly disclaimer:

I don't own it! But the royalty checks sure would be nice.

Just so you know, there are going to be some time jumps coming in order to move things along, you'll know 'em though. And with that said…on with the show!

Bella's POV (we haven't heard from her in quite some time)

The meadow had been wonderful. The moment we got home, Alice practically tackled me at the door. I laughed when Edward growled at her, but frankly, I could only laugh harder when Jasper informed us that he was surprised she'd showed enough restraint to not meet us at the end of the driveway. Alice merely stuck her tongue out at Edward and steered me – as much as I could be steered while hobbling on crutches – into the house and to the living room.

As promised, Edward gave me the tour of the house, well, part of it. We'll finish today. Yesterday we saw the upstairs – Carlisle's study and the historic paintings there. Jasper and Alice's room, I couldn't believe how little of Jasper there was in there. According to Edward, Jasper only wants what Alice wants, so if she's happy, he is and that means she's in charge of the décor, but then he showed me Jasper's study. It would have been any scholar's dream. A huge antique desk, books on almost every wall and pictures of Alice or Jasper and Alice together on every available surface or bare wall space. Some pictures of the rest of the family were framed on the wall too, but most were of Alice. You could tell she didn't know she was being photographed by the lack of posing. I'd asked how that could be when she's psychic, and Edward explained that it would have had to have been a spur of the moment decision. Alice can only see decisions and outcomes based on those decisions. So, if some one were to suddenly decide to snap her picture when she wasn't expecting it, they would be able to capture a moment when she wouldn't be able to see it coming.

After we left Jasper's study we'd headed down the hall towards Edward's room. His room, like mine next to it, faced south, with a wall-sized window. I realized that the whole back wall of the house must be made of glass. His view, the same as mine, looked down on the winding Sol Duc River, across the untouched forest to the Olympic Mountain range.

The western wall was completely covered with shelf after shelf of CDs. His room was better stocked than a music store. I'd commented that if we combined the contents of our rooms, we could open our own mega book and music store. In the corner was a sophisticated-looking sound system, the kind I was afraid to touch because I'd be sure to break something. There was no bed, only a wide and inviting black leather sofa, which I hobbled over too and sat on while Edward put my leg up to stretch it out. The floor was covered in thick golden carpet, and the walls hung with heavy fabric in a slightly darker shade.

"For the acoustics." He'd told me when he caught my wondering gaze.

We'd sat and listened to music and enjoyed the remainder of the evening in his room. We ate dinner, or rather, I ate dinner and he watched me, again, absolutely fascinated with my human need to eat in order to sustain myself.

Once it got dark outside, we'd headed towards my room. We pointedly avoided my original room, though, I couldn't help but pause and stare at the door as we passed and let the memories that had brought me there flood over me. Edward had noticed, of course, and guided me the rest of the way back to my room with his hand gently on my back, where we sat and talked for the rest of the night and I did everything I could think of to stay awake.

"Edward?" I asked.

We were laying on my bed cuddling and just enjoying the peace that only the middle of the night can bring.

"Hm?"

"Why do you think you can't 'hear' me?"

"I don't know. The only guess I have is that maybe your mind doesn't work the same way the rest of theirs does. Like your thoughts are on the AM frequency and I'm only getting FM."

We both laid there for a while contemplating that.

"Bella?"

"Hm?"

"Will you tell me about your dreams?"

"Why?"

"So I know how to make you feel better when you wake from them at night, when you actually sleep that is." 

"Edward, I don't…" 

"Bella, please. It kills me to see you suffering. I may not be able to stop those dreams, but I can, at least, comfort you when you are awake." 

With a sigh, and after reminding him that talking abut the dreams inevitably leads to having them, Jasper or not, I told Edward all I could remember.

It turns out that most of the dreams were actually memories of what had happened to me after I'd been attacked in the yard. The few that had nothing to do with the attack were just my subconscious giving voice to my fears.

After telling Edward the dreams, I felt better, better than I had in a long time. I hadn't realized how much just telling some one would help. I'd fallen asleep shortly after that when exhaustion took over with Edward running his fingers through my hair and humming to me.

_the next day_

Now, as I sit at my vanity and Alice runs a brush through my hair, I wonder idly about my future. Will I ever be able to have some one be in close proximity without fearing they would try to hurt me. Even now, as I watch Alice raise the brush to the crown of my head, I can't help but flinch every time I see it come down towards me.

Will I ever go outside without the fear that some one will be lurking in every bush, around every corner, to attack me?

Will I ever be able to wake up in the morning after a full night of sleep and have not had nightmares the night before?

Will I ever get rid of the tightness that seems to grip my heart tighter with every breath I take?

I notice that the tightness I'd just been thinking about is getting worse. I bring my hand up and rub my sternum. With alarming speed the tightness turns into pain and I see myself grimace in the mirror. Alice stops brushing my hair and pulls the seat out. She gets down to my eye level and puts her cold hands on the sides of my face. When had the room gotten so hot?

"Bella?" She says, a tremor in her voice.

I open my mouth to tell her that it's nothing, but the words get stuck in my throat. The only sound I can manage is a grunt in pain.

My breathing quickens and then it seems as if it takes a great effort to draw any air into my lungs at all.

I throw a panicked look to Alice. I want her to tell me everything is okay, instead, it is as if I've gone completely deaf. The only thing I can hear is a sound like rushing wind.

As I look at Alice again, I can see her lips moving, but I don't hear a word of it.

She looks up sharply and starts speaking again, I can feel some one behind me and instinctively, I know its Edward.

I start when a hand is laid on my shoulder, almost falling off the seat.

Alice stands and takes a step back. I squeeze my eyes shut as tears start to slide down my cheeks as the pain becomes too much to bear.

I open my eyes and the room spins. The pain in my chest grows and I can't breathe anymore.

I feel myself begin to fall, but I don't go far. Some one holds me from the side. I turn my head slowly to see who it is and as my eyes focus I find Edward sitting next to me. He is talking, I can see his lips move, and I panic as I can't make out the words.

I feel a prick in my arm and instinctively turn my head sharply to see what has stuck me. Too sharply apparently because I feel my eyes roll up into my head and I slump against Edward.

I have the unpleasant feeling that I am spinning round and round and then I am floating. My eye lids are suddenly too heavy to hold open anymore and really, I can't think of a good enough reason to continue to try.

Sound slowly starts to come back to me and I can hear Edward call my name. He sounds so far away and I am just too tired to go looking for him.

"Put her on the bed." Some one instructs.

I want to tell them I am perfectly comfortable right where I am, but my lips don't move.

"Bella, if you can hear me, open your eyes." The voice says.

I know that voice, but for some reason, I can't place a name or face to it.

"What happened? Why did she freak out like that?" Another voice asks.

Alice. That voice belongs to Alice.

My mind begins to slowly unjumble. My head hurt, my chest and my heart hurt, but to my great relief, I can breathe again.

I turn to my side and pull my knees to my chest and take greedy gulps of air and begin to rub my sternum again.

"Alice, see if you can find some aspirin. Edward, you are going to have to find out what brought that on. I've given her something to calm her, and with the little amount of sleep she allows herself, she may go to sleep, but keep an eye on her. If she doesn't wake on her own in an hour or so, wake her yourself." 

"Okay. What about tomorrow? Do you think she'll be up for it?"

"Let's wait and see how the rest of today goes. I want to keep an extra close eye on her. When she is ready, bring her down stairs and we'll try to get her used to being around a larger group of people by doing family activities today. Everyone has done as much as they can in getting her caught up to the rest of the class, so I don't think keeping her grades up will be an issue. My only concern at this point is if she will be able to be around all those people with out having a panic attack, which, if I were a betting man, I'd place a substantial wager on that being exactly what happened here today."

If anything else was said after that, it was lost on me. The feeling of floating gave way to the feel of the bed underneath me. I can feel some one laying beside me, holding me, and as much as I want to tell the person thank you, my brain and mouth aren't connecting. Giving a mental shrug, I tell myself that I'll just tell them later.

I don't know how long I had been laying there, but suddenly, my eye lids are no longer too heavy to hold open. I find my movements are sluggish, but I do have the control I'd been searching for earlier over my limbs.

I start to turn over, to get more comfortable, but I'm stopped with a hand on my arm.

"Bella?" A soft, soothing voice says to me.

"Hm?" I mumble in reply.

"Bella, I need you to open your eyes." 

"But I'm sleepy." I mumble.

"I know you are, but I still need you to open your eyes and look at me."

Opening my eyes slowly, I find Edward smiling at me.

"Can I go back to sleep now?" I ask.

"Afraid not Bella." A frown crosses Edward's features. I don't like it there. "Bella, what happened earlier?"

"Earlier?"

"Yes, before you fell asleep." 

"Alice was brushing my hair and she was talking about the kids at school. My mind wandered off, I can't really remember what I was thinking about, but then I couldn't breathe. I tried to get air in, but I just couldn't. I think I might have started to panic. And then I was here, and you were saying my name and telling me I had to wake up." 

"I need you to try to remember what you'd been thinking about Bella." Edward says as he runs his fingers through my hair.

"I honestly don't remember. She was talking about school and I started…" 

"You started what Bella?"

"I started thinking about my future." 

"What about your future?"

"If I even have one, for one thing."

"Of course you have a future. Why wouldn't you"

"Edward, they are still out there. Charlie has been way too easy-going about my not being with him, and Phil…" I tried, but the shudder that ran through my body was irrepressible.

"You know we won't let either of them hurt you again, don't you?"

"It's not that easy Edward, you and I both know that. There are a million different ways that either one of them could get to me. You can't tell me you haven't thought of those possibilities."

"Of course I have."

"Then you can't deny that it's possible, and probable." 

"No, I can't. I was just hoping that if I said it enough times, it would be true." 

"I've tried that, it doesn't work." 

"Are you ready to see every one?"

"Is Alice angry with me?"

"Why would Alice be upset with you in any way?"

"I did freak out on her."

"Bella, you had a panic attack, that isn't something you can control. Alice understands that. She would never hold it against you."

"Are you sure?"

"Bella." Edward sighed. "Of course."

"How long was I asleep?"

"A little over an hour. I didn't want to wake you, with what little sleep you've been getting lately."

"Mmm."

"Come on, let's go down stairs before every one ends up coming up here." 

"Are you sure she's not upset with me?"

"Bella, I promise. Every one is just concerned. We're all going to spend the day together. Carlisle thinks it may help you get acclimated to being around larger groups of people so you'll be okay for school tomorrow." 

"What is every one going to think of me? I was only there for a little bit on my first day, and then I passed out before I even made it into my first class. Every one is going to think I'm a freak Edward." 

"I don't think you'll have anything to worry about honestly. Most of the school population stays away from us. Whether they know it or not, it's their instincts telling them they should be afraid, with you in our group, every one will probably leave you alone." 

"I hope so, I wasn't so lucky at my last school."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"Not particularly. Let's just say that every one knew something was up, but I wasn't talking and that just lead to every one coming up with their own theories. Most people weren't polite enough to keep those theories to themselves."

EPOV

I could think of nothing to say. I held Bella tighter in a show of comfort and assured her nothing like that would happen here, at least I hoped nothing like that would happen here. It is seldom we hear the gossip about us with our own ears, well, it would be seldom if our hearing weren't so good.

"Let's go down and see what Carlisle had in mind for today." I suggest.

Nodding, Bella swung her feet to the floor and then stopped.

"Uh, are you planning another surprise or something?" She asked.

"Not today, why?"

"My crutches aren't here."

"Perhaps Alice took them down already."

"Would you mind?"

"Of course not."

I take silent delight in carrying Bella around. I can surreptitiously smell her hair, she uses a lovely strawberry scented shampoo. I feel as if I am able to protect her better when she is in my arms.

I pick her up and she puts her arms around my neck. I walk at a normal, human, pace. I can sense Bella's nervousness. She is stiff, holding me tightly as if…afraid.

"Bella, are you alright?" I ask.

"Fine. I'm…fine." She mumbles.

We enter the living room and every one is already there. I place Bella on the love seat and then take the space next to her.

"Thank you Edward." She says quietly.

"I thought today we would have some family time." Carlisle says to us all. "Perhaps today would be a good day to play board games."

"No board games, between Edward and Alice, no one else ever gets to win!" Emmett complains.

"Okay, no board games, and I assume this means card games are out as well. How about…" Carlisle trailed off.

"What about a game of baseball?" Alice suggests.

"Are you saying a storm is going to pass through?" Jasper asks.

"Oh yes, a very nice, very loud, storm." Alice replies.

"What is it Bella?" Jasper asks.

"Nothing. It's…nothing. But um, why is a storm so important for a baseball game? Wouldn't that make it harder to play?" Bella asks.

"_Edward, I'm getting worried about Bella evading the question when some one asks about her." _Carlisle says silently.

"_I know. I am as well. Before bringing her down, she was overly tense when I carried her. When I asked her about it, she shrugged it off, and then just now with Jasper." _I reply.

"_There isn't much we can do about it other than wait for her to open up on her own unfortunately."_

"Do you think this will affect her going to classes tomorrow?"

"_I don't see how it will, but keep an eye on her tomorrow, make sure all of you keep your eye on her."_

"We will."

"…so, when we hit the ball it's loud, really loud, like a thunder clap. Playing during a storm disguises the noise, so no one is suspicious." Emmett finished explaining.

Bella nods her head, though if she truly understands or not, is a mystery to us all.

"Bella, we'll have to go away from the house to do this, will you be alright with that?" Carlisle asks.

"I'll be fine." Bella says.

"_No, Edward, she won't." _Jasper communicates with me.

"_What do you mean Jasper?"_ I ask.

"_She's already scared, by the time we leave, she'll have worked her way up to terrified. I'm not sure this is a good idea."_

"_She's going to have to leave tomorrow too, better to find out today if she can do it then wait until morning."_

"I suppose."

"Edward?" Bella asks.

"Yes?"

"What are you and Jasper talking about?"

"You are much more observant than I give you credit for. It was nothing, just strategy for the game."

"Oh."

"Why don't you take a nap before we leave. You've had such little sleep lately Bella." Carlisle suggests.

"I'm fine." Bella says, again.

"It would make me feel better. Please?" Carlisle beseeches her.

"Ah, sure, I'll lay down for a bit, I guess." Bella says hesitantly.

"I'll take you up." I volunteer.

Bella nods her head in acceptance and I pick her up and head toward the stairs.

"Will you stay with me?" Bella whispers.

"Of course." I answer.

I place her gently on her bed and she turns on her side and gets comfortable. As I lay down, she seems even more tense.

"Bella, is everything alright?"

"Yes, I was just wondering if it would be alright if I…well…put my head here?" She asks, placing her hand on my chest.

"It's fine. You know you don't have to ask."

With a wide yawn, Bella puts her head down on my chest. I run my fingers through her hair, down her arm, over her back.

Eventually, her breathing deepens and evens out as she falls asleep. I won't wake her until it's time to leave.


	21. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Per usual, none of it is mine, with the exception of the characters that I create out of thin air

Disclaimer: Per usual, none of it is mine, with the exception of the characters that I create out of thin air.

BPOV

As the time to leave drew closer, I became more and more nervous. This would be my first time out of the house since Phil had shown up.

Everyone reassured me continuously that everything would be okay.

Alice saw nothing bad happening, saw me going to school tomorrow, I was perfectly safe. Edward would always be near me, and Esme wouldn't be leaving my side tonight.

It seemed the more anxious I became, the faster time seemed to speed by. Jasper did his best to help alleviate the anxiousness, and I was grateful, though I'm sure I was beginning to annoy him.

Before long, Edward was helping me into a jacket and I could hear what sounded like a monster truck pulling up out front.

"Time to go Bella." Edward said softly.

"We'll meet you there." Carlisle called from the living room.

Edward carried me outside and right up to a massive jeep.

He set me in the front seat and while I attempted to figure out all of the straps and buckles, Edward got into the driver's seat.

After watching me for a moment attempt to buckle myself in, Edward chuckled softly and gently brushed my hands out of the way and did the buckles and straps himself.

"I'm sure you would have figured it out eventually, but I'd like to get there before the game is over." Edward chuckled.

"Uh huh." Was the only response I could come up with.

"It really is going to be just fine tonight Bella, I promise. I haven't broken a promise to you yet have I?"

"N-no." I stammered. "It's not that I don't believe you, I do, truly."

"What is it then?" He asked softly as he took my hand to hold while he drove.

"I don't really know, to be honest. It's more like a feeling. I can't really explain it." 

"Bella, Alice has stopped to check every five minutes since we decided to play ball tonight. She hasn't seen anything happening." 

"What if the decision to do something hasn't been made yet, she wouldn't see anything until that happens, and by then…" 

"Bella, stop." Edward said forcefully. "Listen to me. This family will not let anything happen to you. I will not let anything happen to you." 

"I don't want any one getting hurt because of me, please, you have to understand. My mom…" 

"Bella, love. I do understand, but you have to remember, the things that could hurt you, they aren't able to hurt me. Remember, most of the things you've seen in movies are myth. I can walk in the sun if I want to, garlic, while I refuse to eat it, doesn't smell all that horrible to me, steaks would break if some one were to try to penetrate my skin. Do you see? Bella, the only person you should worry about is you, and what Emmett will do when he loses tonight." Edward chuckled as he attempted to lighten the mood.

"He'll sulk like a child until Rosalie and he retire to their room for the day." I replied as I tried to let go of my fear.

"Let's not talk about that. I'll have to hear both of them all day as it is, I'd rather not have to think about it any longer than that." Edward shuddered. "The ride is probably going to be a bit…bumpy Bella. Let me know if it gets to be too much and I'll pull over for a moment or two." 

"Sure." I said.

As Edward started down the drive, I figured out what he'd meant by "bumpy", though that was an understatement. Even the well worn path felt as if we'd started an off-roading trip. If not for the confusing tangle of buckles and straps that Edward had done up for me, I would have been thrown from the jeep. I also figured out about half way there (or half way according to Edward's driving), why Edward had offered to pull over if the trip became too much for me at any time. By the halfway marker, my sides were killing me and my leg felt like some one had stabbed it.

I stifled as many gasps of pain as I could, but we hit one bump that was just too much and Edward heard the quiet moan that I couldn't keep to myself and pulled over almost immediately.

"How much longer were you going to let me go before you said anything?" He asked almost sounding angry.

"I…I'm sorry." I answered automatically.

"Bella." Edward sighed. "I'm not going to do anything to you."

"What?" I asked.

"You look like you are going to try to get out without even trying to undo your buckles." He answered.

"What?" I asked again.

"My God. That's an automatic response for you, isn't it?" This time, Edward WAS angry.

"I'm sorry." I said again.

"Oh Bella, love. You have nothing to apologize for. You've done nothing wrong. I'm sorry I lost my temper. It wasn't your fault. You have been doing so much better of late that I had forgotten that you naturally refuse to be open about the pain you are in." 

"I'm trying to do better, I swear." I replied.

"Bella, this isn't something you need to try to be better at. It is as natural to you as breathing is to hide your pain. I could kill the people responsible for that, for all that you've had to endure. Just remember, I am never angry with you. How could I be? You are perfection to me." 

"I…I'm not perfect Edward. I'm weak, I'm frail, and, above all, I'm…"

"Beautiful." Edward cut me off. "You may not see it Bella, but I do, and so does the family. I think you just need to get out of the house more. School will be a perfect setting, completely safe and full of people your own age. You will experience a somewhat "normal" teenage lifestyle for a change." 

"All those people." I whispered to myself, imagining what a day of school would be like.

"What about them?" Edward asked.

"I…I don't think I'll fit in very well."

"You won't have to worry about that. As I told you yesterday, one of us will be in each of your classes. The only time you won't be with one of us is during gym class, but that is because you will be sitting gym out for the rest of the year while you finish your recovery. Carlisle has already seen to it. He thinks it would be too easy for you to get hurt because of all the breaks you've already suffered. He told the school that you suffer from something akin to brittle bone disease so there would be no questions asked."

"Wonderful. So, I'm probably already going to be considered a freak, and now…" 

"What does it matter what other people think?"

"When you are raised to make sure that no one suspects anything out of the ordinary is going on, you worry about those things." I answered a little sharply.

"Don't worry Bella. You'll be with the rest of us. We pretty much keep to ourselves as it is anyway, it's…easier…not to interact too much with the students for us, it makes it easier for them to accept that there is a predator among them without stoking the fire, so to speak. Their instincts naturally make them shy away from us, so it's pretty easy for us to blend in, yet keep to ourselves at the same time." 

"Doesn't that get lonely?"

"Not really. Their minds are rather uninventive and immature. I've seen it countless times. Going to high school twice a decade gets to be repetitive after a while. Besides, we have each other. We are family as well as friend. My family is all I ever thought I'd want in my life, until you came along Bella." Edward said softly as he raised my hand to his lips and kissed it.

"Edward, do you think I'll ever feel like a part of the family?" I asked nervously.

"I hope so Bella. We'll do whatever it takes to make you feel as if you are, I know that much." 

"Do you think…someday…I'll ever _really_ be a part of the family?"

"What do you mean? You already are." 

"Oh."

"Bella, what are you asking?" Edward asked as his brow furrowed.

"Nothing. Never mind." I answered. "I'm feeling better now, we should get going before every one wonders what happened to us." 

"Of course." Edward answered, but the furrow did not leave his brow.

We arrived at the end of road and Edward shut off the jeep. He leaned over and began unbuckling me from the contraption that had kept me from flying out of the jeep, he then got out and came around to my side.

Edward stood on the ground and I swung my legs around so they hung outside of the jeep.

"Hang on a moment Bella. We're going to have to run, so you are going to have to ride on my back."

Standing on the rail that ran along the exterior of the jeep, Edward turned his back to me and told me to climb on.

I managed not to fall as I slipped out of my seat and grabbed onto Edward's shoulders. I locked my arms around his neck and tucked my head down in the hollow created by his neck, shoulder and my arm.

I only knew we were running by the breeze making my hair fly behind me. Edward ran without making one single jarring motion, either out of reflex or because he didn't want to cause me anymore pain.

EPOV

As I ran, I grew uneasy by the question Bella had asked during the drive. Would she ever really be a part of the family? What did that mean? She already is a part of the family. What other…I was horrified by the realization I'd come to. She'd meant as one of us, as a vampire herself.

'_Edward? What's wrong!'_ Jasper demanded as I came to the clearing.

'_Nothing I care to discuss.' _I answered him.

He gave me a quizzical look and then helped Bella down off my back.

"How are you doing Bella?" Jasper asked.

"I'm fine." Bella replied shyly.

"You are going to sit over here, dear." Esme instructed and carried Bella over to a fallen tree. "You can help me call the game."

"Aren't you going to play?" Bella asked.

"I prefer to keep every one honest." Esme replied while chuckling.

'_Edward, I need to speak with you!'_ Alice practically shouted in my head.

"I'll be there in a moment Alice." I answered out loud. "Esme will keep an eye on you while we play Bella. I can be back in the blink of an eye if you need me."

Bella nodded her okay and I walked towards Alice.

"What is so important that you had to yell?" I asked.

"The answer to Bella's question is yes, Edward." Alice informed me.

"You don't seem overly pleased by this." I said.

"Neither do you, but I bet it is for differing reasons." She replied.

"Explain your reason then."

"It's not going to be pleasant Edward." Alice looked grim and then opened her mind to me.

The images I saw playing out in front of me would have stopped my heart if it still beat.

"Alice." I whispered.

"I know." She replied.

"Do not say a word to her about this. She's already anxious enough just being out here with all of us around her tonight." I instructed.

"I won't for now Edward. Do you recall the vision I had about Bella being taken? I think this happens then or shortly thereafter. Edward, there won't be anything any of us can do to stop this."

"We can damn well do our best to try." I shouted.

"Edward?" Bella called.

"He's fine Bella." Jasper said from close beside her. "Alice just told him he was going to be on the losing team tonight and he didn't take the news well."

"I don't like being lied to Jasper." Bella said.

I was surprised, while there was no heat in her voice, Bella was obviously upset.

"Actually, he's not lieing Bella. Edward will be on the losing team tonight, even with his speed." Alice called to her.

"That's not what you told him though." Bella said as she tried to get more comfortable.

"How did she know that?" I asked.

"Perhaps she was reading our facial expressions and realized we weren't talking about the game?" Alice suggested.

"Jasper, she'll be more comfortable on the grass leaning against the tree." Alice called so Bella could hear.

I watched Jasper help Bella to the ground and then sprint back toward the Jeep.

"I brought a couple of blankets just in case." Alice informed me. "One for her to sit on, and then, later, when she gets chilly, one to cover up with."

Jasper was back in moments and spread one blanket on the ground. Bella got herself onto it and then leaned back against the fallen tree.

"All right every one, take up your positions!" Esme called out loudly for Bella's benefit.

The game progressed through the storm and per Alice's prediction, my team lost.

About half way through the game, Esme had stopped calling plays. We all looked to find out why and noticed Bella had fallen asleep. Esme covered her with the second blanket and sat by her protectively through the second half, running her fingers through Bella's hair and down her back soothingly. Esme's mothering instincts had flared when Bella came into the family.

"All right everyone. Don't you wake her up. She needs her rest." Esme scolded us as we came off the field.

"Ed, you can't take her in the jeep. She'll wake up." Emmett declared.

"I know. I was thinking I'd run her home. One of you can take the Jeep." I answered.

"You aren't going alone if you are running." Alice said. _'Trust me on this one Edward, it would not turn out well.'_

"Emmett and I will go with you." Rosalie volunteered.

"Works for me." Emmett said.

Esme wrapped the blanket tightly around Bella and I picked her up and cradled her to me, her head resting on my shoulder.

"She must be dead tired if that didn't even get a reaction out of her." Emmett said.

"She's had quite a day." Carlisle stated. "Get her home and to bed Edward."

With a nod, Emmett, Rosalie and I took off into the woods towards home.

Rosalie held the door open as I entered the house.

Even when I put Bella into bed when we returned home, she didn't so much as stir in her sleep. She slept the sleep of the truly exhausted, and no wonder!

The little sleep she has allowed herself in her fear of the nightmares that she was terrified she won't be able to wake from is minimal at best and never restful.

Finally, Bella was getting the rest that she so desperately needed. With her anxieties over going with the family tonight, I was worried about how she would handle going to school tomorrow.

I sat up and watched Bella sleep all night. She didn't stir once, a testament to how deeply she slept. As dawn approached Rosalie came in and took over so I could shower and change my clothes.

"Bella, relax, it's going to be fine." Jasper tried for the fourth time on the car ride to school.

But it wasn't fine. I could already hear the speculation circling as every one stared at my car when we pulled into the school parking lot.

When Bella opened the door, almost two full minutes after the rest of us had gotten out of the car, I was there waiting for her with her crutches in one hand and the other stretched out to help her out of the car. Alice and Jasper had gone to meet up with Rosalie and Jasper.

"Ready?" I asked gently as Bella took a moment to gain her balance on the crutches and take a look around.

Groups of students continued to mill around, but now they had stopped to blatantly stare.

I heard the moment Bella noticed. Her heart rate picked up and her breathing became quick and shallow.

"Breath Bella." I said softly. "Take a deep breath and let it out slowly."

Bella tried to take a deep breath but it caught in her throat when she heard a group girls nearby.

"I can't believe she had the guts to come back." One said.

"Isn't she that freak that passed out in the hallway before she ever even made it to her first class a couple of months ago?" Another asked.

"I heard that Chief Swan had to ship her to an institution and have her medicated enough to function in public." A third person commented.

"Yeah, well, Chief Swan told my dad that he had to send her back to Phoenix to answer questions about her mother's death and the disappearance of her step-father. Did you know that she was murdered and when the cops showed up, they found her covered in blood? I guess there is speculation now as to whether or not she's all that innocent." The first girl said in a mock whisper.

"Edward," Bella barely squeaked. " I can't do this."

Her eyes were pleading with me and it very nearly broke my heart.

"Problem Ed?" Emmett asked as he and Rosalie followed closely by Alice and Jasper walked around the car.

"Bella!" Jasper gasped.

"Oh Bella." Alice cried. "Ignore them. They have no idea what they are talking about. I swear that girl lives just to see how vicious she can be." 

"Don't Jasper." Bella demanded as she started to cry. "I'm fine. Let's just get this over with."

We were stunned. Bella had managed to shock us into staring after her as she started toward the school.

"Some one want to explain?" Emmett asked as he glared at the girl who'd told the group that Bella was a suspected murder. 

"I think we can do the explanations later, right now, Bella is headed toward the wrong building and she's alone." Rosalie supplied.

"I think giving her a bit of distance is probably the best idea right now." Jasper offered.

"Not likely. What she needs right now is to find a spot to hide for a few minutes and collect herself. C'mon Rose." Alice said as she grabbed Rosalie's hand and they headed after Bella.

"How do we handle this?" Emmett asked.

"Play it by ear, mostly." Jasper suggested. "Bella needs to learn how to handle herself. Granted this isn't the best of situations to learn in, but she's going to have to. All we can do is be there for her. She was so mad when I tried to help her relax after she heard Lauren but with how reserved she usually is, I never expected her to actually snap at me for it."

"I can safely say she wasn't upset with you for trying to help Jazz." Alice said as she came up to us at a pace that was bordering on too fast to pass as normal. "Calm down Edward, Rosalie is with her." 

"I know she wasn't upset with _me_, but for how upset she was, and then she just holds it all in all the time…it's not healthy." Jasper said as he held Alice.

"Let's see if we can cheer her up a little before first bell." Emmett suggested.

"_Do we need to alter any of our schedules any to help her at all?"_ I silently asked Alice.

"_No, I think that would just make her feel worse. You know how she is about fretting over whether or not she's being an inconvenience."_ Alice replied rolling her eyes.

When we gathered around where Rosalie was standing with Bella, she'd pretty much gotten her tears under control.

"_Please tell me some one is going to make that girl pay for this."_ Rosalie was thinking.

"_No one is making any one pay for anything Rose. It wouldn't help anything."_ I admonished. "Bella, are you ready to go in?"

"No, but let's get this over with anyway." Bella sighed.

The others formed a semi circle around Bella and I as they escorted us to our first class.

"We'll be waiting for you two when class is over." Alice said. "We have second period together Bella. I'll finally be able to gossip like the other girls do in class!"

Bella smiled slightly and then maneuvered through the door.

"She's terrified Ed." Jasper informed me.

"I figured she would be." I answered.

"She'll be fine, she just needs to settle in." Alice confirmed.

I walked into the classroom and found Bella leaning on her crutches near the teacher's desk.

"Why don't we take our seats. When the teacher comes in, I'll give him your slip." I suggested.

Bella nodded and then I steered her towards the back corner of the room, near the window.

As the classroom began to steadily fill, Bella became further and further reserved.

"Breathe Bella." I chuckled.

It appeared that Bella hadn't even heard me, though her breathing did deepen slightly.

Most of the class seemed to be staring directly at Bella when they came in and then, as they took their seats, found excuses to turn and look at her.

Thankfully, the teacher came in shortly and I made quick work of getting Bella's slip signed and getting back to her side.

Throughout class, I cast looks in Bella's direction to make sure she was alright. Her posture never changed and her head stayed pointed at the front, though, I was sure she wasn't hearing a word the teacher had said, thankfully, he never called on her.

As class wound down, I caught a stray thought from a seat in front of Bella's and immediately, I knew what had Bella so uptight.

Lauren, the girl from outside, was two rows up, gossiping with the boy behind her, just loud enough for Bella to hear, but quiet enough to not get caught.

I had been so caught up in keeping an eye on Bella, that I had missed it entirely.

"Bella?" I questioned.

She just shook her head and then turned to stare out the window for the rest of class, which, thankfully, ended not ten minutes later.

I waited while Bella gathered her things and took her bag to carry for her.

_"Edward? What happened?!"_ Alice demanded. _"Jasper says that the depression coming from Bella is enough to keep him away. He had to head to his next class to try to get away from it."_

"_I'll tell you later. Now is not a good time."_ I responded.

"Hi Bella!" Alice greeted cheerfully. "How was your first day?"

Bella didn't even glance at Alice as she maneuvered her way out into the hall.

"…oh, yeah, I heard it was a totally gruesome sight. My dad said that she was just covered in the blood, like she thought she'd take a swim in it or something." Lauren was saying just outside of the classroom to a group of people.

Bella stopped and stared at the girl.

"Bella, come on, we'll be late for our next class." Alice urged while shooting me a worried look.

"I'll be waiting for you just outside of the door when your class is over, Bella." I promised as I held Bella's rigid form against me. "I'll also have a word with that girl for you, if you'd like."

"No." Bella said, low and soft and then she headed off to her second class following behind Alice.

The rest of the day passed without incident. In gym she was told to sit on the bleachers and given an essay to write on the activity that the class was doing.

By the time we arrived home, Bella's mood had improved, and Jasper had informed me that the time spent out of earshot of Lauren had helped quite a bit.

At lunch, Bella had continued to be reserved and shy, but, with time and patience, we all believed she would come out of her shell.


	22. Chapter 20

*Usual disclaimer…I don't own any of it, with the sole exception of the characters I've created and the plot, that's all mine*

EPOV

The semester was going by without incident. Bella remained shy and reserved. Her health continued to improve as did her confidence. As time continued forward with no sign of Charlie, Phil or the others that had attacked her, Bella grew less and less timid about venturing out into public, albeit only if she was accompanied by at least two of us. The only time she allowed any deviance from that plan was when I would take her to our meadow, and even then someone would be nearby, just in case. I was always on alert, ready for anything.

It was early May now. We were sitting in the cafeteria when Alice was taken over by a surprisingly strong vision. Jasper was the first to notice and that got my attention. As the scenes unfolded in her mind, I was taken by surprise. When Alice came out of the vision, she was absolutely ecstatic.

_"Edward, did you see?!"_ She practically screamed in her mind.

I gave a sharp nod to answer her.

"_She's going to be there, that's already decided; the real question is how are we going to convince her of this? We'll have to take her by surprise, and I've already got the perfect dress in mind and she's getting more comfortable letting Rose and me do her hair and stuff…ever since…well, you remember."_

"Bella, what are you staring at?" Rosalie asked.

"Nothing." She replied and focused her attention on her hands, which she'd wrapped around a bottle of lemonade she had in front of her.

"If it's nothing…" Jasper started.

"I said it's nothing." Bella repeated and got up to walk away.

"Anyone know what's going on?" Emmett asked.

"No, but what was she looking at?" Jasper asked as he looked in the general direction Bella had be staring. "Who generally sits over there?" He asked as he gestured with his chin.

"Lauren's group." Rose answered angrily.

We pretty quickly gathered that Lauren had done something and Bella had seen.

"You know, she's been pretty quiet since that first day, I wonder if it's really been that quiet, or if Bella just hasn't said anything." Emmett said.

"This is Bella, I'm willing to bet that Lauren's been bugging her the whole time and you know how she is, Bella wouldn't say a word." Rosalie said.

"I don't see…" Alice started only to be taken over by a vision.

"Alice, what do you see?" Jasper asked her softly.

"Bella, she's crying, she's not alone." Alice replied. Blinking rapidly as she came out of the vision, she started to stand up. "We have to get outside, now. Oh, and someone grab an umbrella."

"_Edward, take her straight to your car and then home. Staying is not in her best interest."_ Alice told me.

The scene before us as we left the cafeteria caused my vision to be tainted red with furry.

Lauren and her cohorts were standing in a semi circle around Bella who was sitting against the base of a tree with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. A crowd had begun to gather around to see the spectacle.

"…and that's why you really came here, isn't it, _Isabella_?" Lauren intoned, sneering Bella's name as if it were a filthy word. "Did your dad pull strings to make sure you didn't do any jail time? That _is_ why you were gone for so long after that first day, isn't it? Your father told my mother that you had to go back Florida to turn yourself in because you were wanted for questioning. So, what really happened that night Bella? Wouldn't your mommy let you…"

"That is ENOUGH!" Emmett yelled as we got closer.

The crowd parted to allow us to get to Bella, with the exception of Lauren and her friends.

"Oh, isn't this precious. Your new family coming to your rescue." Lauren continued to taunt.

Bella stood and attempted to walk around to the other side of the tree and get away, but Lauren's friends gathered into a tighter formation and wouldn't allow her to pass.

"Where are you going Bella? I'm sure everyone would just love to hear where you disappeared to after that first day. You going to disappear again? Should I be sleeping with my window locked so you don't try to murder me like you did your mother? Why did you do it Bella? Why did you kill her? Are you going to kill their mother too? Better watch out Cullens and Hales. You never know when she might just snap and go after any of you too." Lauren laughed.

The mood had a sudden dramatic change as Jasper took charge of the situation with the crowd, Lauren and her friends.

As Lauren turned her attention from Bella to us, she paled considerably and began to shake visibly. She opened her mouth to continue her taunting tirade, but Jasper altered the emotions around to include guilt.

The crowd dispersed as quickly as it had gathered and Lauren and her friends first backed away and then ran back to the sanctuary of the cafeteria.

"Where did Bella go now?" Rosalie asked.

While we had been concentrating on the crowd and Lauren and her friends, Bella had made her own escape.

"Her scent goes into the trees, there." Emmett pointed to the tree line that bordered the school's property.

"Edward and I will get her; the rest of you should get back inside. Someone needs to let the office know that Bella is ill and Edward and I are taking her home." Alice instructed.

We headed in our opposite directions, Jasper making plans in his head to alert the office and then meet us at the house.

"Jasper will meet us at home." I informed Alice.

"I figured he might. Actually, it'll probably help." She said.

"She can't have gone far."

"No, she didn't, she got just out of eyesight."

We walked quietly until ewe caught the sound of muffled sniffling.

"Oh, Bella." Alice sighed as we came around a large tree and found Bella sitting on the ground with her head resting on her arms. "Come on, let's get you home."

"I'm fine. I just need a few minutes." Bella said.

"Bella, we're taking you home. You need a break." I said.

"I'm fine." Bella repeated.

"You seem to be saying that a lot lately Bella, but you seem to forget that we have the likes of Jasper around. You are not fine. Why do you keep saying you are?" Alice asked.

"Because I am. I know the truth, so what if they pick on me, I've dealt with worse." Bella answered.

I crouched in front of Bella so we would be at eye level, though, getting her to look up from the ground proved almost impossible.

Placing my finger under her chin and gently forcing her to look up I said, "You shouldn't have to deal with ANY of it Bella. That child has no idea what you've been through. This is the only way she knows how to make herself feel superior. She is not overly intelligent, nor is she as exceptionally beautiful as she wishes she could be. Her only recourse, as far as she is concerned, is to belittle people and make them feel worthless."

Bella gave a quiet snort.

"You are not worthless Bella; don't let Lauren, or anyone else make you feel as if you are, ever." Alice demanded.

"You ready to leave now?" I offered.

"Sure. Why not?" Bella answered quietly with a shrug.

I held the umbrella over Alice and Bella as Alice guided Bella to the car.

Alice opened the front passenger side, but Bella went around to the back driver's side and got in. With a quite sigh and a worried glance, Alice got in the door she was holding open.

I drove home slowly to give Bella further time to collect herself.

When we arrived, Esme was waiting on the porch for us.

"_Jasper called as soon as you got in the car. How is she?"_ Esme asked.

I shook my head slightly to indicate that Bella was not well.

As soon as the car stopped, Bella got out and walked up to the house. She paused, gave Esme a small smile, then continued on into the house and straight up to her room, where she closed the door and turned on her stereo with the volume high, even for a human.

"She doesn't want anyone to hear her cry." Alice said.

"And she thinks turning the volume up on the music will drown it out?" I snapped, exasperated.

"No, but it gives Bella a little bit of comfort to go the effort of keeping that last tiny shred of pride she has left intact. Besides, she needs a little time alone right now, I think." Esme said.

Jasper arrived a few minutes after us.

"This is too much." He gasped. "I'm going hunting, I'll be back in a few hours."

"I'll come with you." Alice said.

They left through the back door, heading straight into the woods.

"What happened today Edward?" Esme asked.

"Didn't Jasper tell you?"

"He told me about that girl, but there has to be something else."

"We think it's been going on since her first day back and that she's just been keeping it to herself."

Esme led the way into the kitchen.

"Did she eat today?"

"No, just a bottle of lemonade at lunch."

"I'll make her a sandwich and take it up to her. Maybe she just needs a mother right now."

"What she needs is to have that girl dealt with, but I don't think Bella would appreciate very much if the girl suddenly disappeared."

"No, I don't think she would, nor would I for that matter." Carlisle stated as he walked into the kitchen.

"Jasper called you too?" Esme asked.

"He did. I don't like this anymore than you do Edward, but we have to handle this the human way. All of our protective instincts seem to kick in with Bella, but…" Carlisle started.

"I know where you are going with that thought, but this is not a normal human circumstance. If it was some stupid petty human thing, we'd be all for Bella handling this herself, but it's not, and you can't deny that." I argued.

"You're right, I can't deny that. Quite honestly though, I'm not sure _how_ to handle something like this."

Esme had finished making food for Bella and was on her way out of the kitchen when she paused and turned around. "It needs to be resolved quickly. This is the same pattern her step-father used before he escalated to physical abuse. I will not allow Bella to relapse because of some petty child."

As Esme left the kitchen, Carlisle and I exchanged the same astonished look.

"I guess her mothering instincts have completely resurfaced." Carlisle chuckled.

"So, how do we handle this?" I asked.

"Do you suppose Jasper would be up for making the girl feel fear every time she so much as looked at Bella?"

"I know you're not serious, but it's a valid idea. I know Emmett would be all for it. The only problem that I see with that position would be the days that the rest of us can't be in school."

"Good point."

"We could always move again." I suggested half heartedly.

"That wouldn't solve the issue though."

"No, I suppose it wouldn't."

We made our way out of the kitchen and to the living room. I headed toward my piano and Carlisle towards his favorite chair. I played idly while I contemplated the problem and while I listened to Carlisle turn the situation over in his mind.

"I could always have a talk with the girl's parents." Carlisle suggested.

"I honestly think that would make the situation worse."

"_If only Bella would stand up for herself, this wouldn't be an issue."_ Carlisle thought.

"No, it probably wouldn't be an issue, but in order for Bella to stand up for herself, she'd have to tell everyone the truth about everything. There is only so much she can say that wouldn't give away our secret in the process."

"True. Not to mention that she was never given the opportunity to even know _how_ to stand up for herself."

"Mmmm." I agreed as I continued to play.

"A new piece?" Carlisle asked.

I hadn't even realized that I'd started a new piece until Carlisle pointed it out.

"I guess it is." I confirmed.

Carlisle's mind drifted off to other subjects and I found myself concentrating on the piece that was developing. For the better part of the afternoon it was this way.

Esme came down just before the others arrived home from school.

"How is she?" Carlisle asked.

"She cried herself to sleep a little while ago. She's having the most fitful sleep she's had in months." Esme sighed. "We could hear you playing up there. I think it helped quite a bit Edward. She calmed herself down so she could hear better."

"We're in here." I called to Emmett and Rosalie as they came in the front door.

"How is she?" Rosalie asked.

"About as well as can be expected, I suppose." Esme answered.

"Any ideas as to how we're going to handle this?" Emmett asked, always the big brother.

"None that are viable yet." I answered.

"What does Bella say?" Rosalie asked.

"What do you mean?" Emmett asked her.

"I mean, what does Bella think we should do? What does Bella _want_ us to do? It is her problem, perhaps she should get a say in how it's handled." Rosalie elaborated.

"Honestly, we hadn't even thought of that." Carlisle said. "Bella's been too upset to even come down out of her room."

"She's asleep right now Rose. Esme was just with her." I said, hearing her intentions.

"Where are Alice and Jasper?" Emmett asked.

"Jasper had to get out of here, so he and Alice went for a short hunt." I told them.

"But we're back now." Alice chirped as she and Jasper came in through the kitchen.

"It's not nearly as bad as it was earlier." Jasper stated, mostly to himself.

"She's sleeping now." Esme said.

"I know how we're going to handle this too." Alice stated happily.

"Oh? And how might that be?" Emmett asked.

"We're going to ignore it." Alice stated simply.

"We're going to what?" Rosalie asked, outraged.

"Exactly as I said. We are going to ignore it, mostly. With a little help from Jasper." Alice explained.

"What kind of help?" Esme asked.

"Jasper is going to help Bella keep her emotions around Lauren under control so eventually Lauren will just leave Bella alone because she'll see she's not getting the response she's craving anymore." Alice said.

"And what about on the sunny days?" I asked. "Carlisle and I had a similar idea, only the person Jasper would be targeting would be Lauren herself."

"I'd thought of that too, but it would back fire eventually. On the sunny days, Jasper would be close to the school so that he could still affect Bella, he'd just stay out of eye sight. Quite honestly though, I don't foresee very many sunny days and Lauren will most likely leave her alone before we really need to concern ourselves with it." Alice said.

"Anyone else think we should see if this is what Bella wants before we do anything?" Rosalie asked.

"We will, but I can already tell you she's going to go for it." Alice said. "Shall we Edward?"

"She's sleeping right now." I said.

"Only for a few more minutes, and trust me, she'll want someone there when she wakes up."

We sat on the window bench while we waited, and sure enough, only a few minutes had gone by when Bella sat up quickly and was trying to draw in shaky breaths. I was there holding her in an instant.

"Shh Bella, its okay." I soothed and whispered nonsensical things to her until she calmed down.

When her breathing had calmed and the shaking that had racked her body stopped I asked, "Better now?"

Bella nodded her head slightly and pulled back to look at Alice and I.

"What's going on?" She asked, slightly frightened.

"We have a plan." Alice declared.

Bella looked skeptical. "A plan?"

"Mmhmm. Would you like to hear it?" Alice asked.

"Does it involve me becoming invisible?" Bella asked.

"Sorry, no. However, it does involve making you impervious to Lauren's taunting, so much so that she will begin leaving you alone." Alice said.

"Alice, I hate to burst your bubble, but Lauren will never quit. She enjoys it too much." Bella said sadly.

"Haven't you learned your lesson about betting against Alice?" I asked.

Bella replied with a small smile. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, Jasper is going to help you out with letting everything Lauren says roll right off you. It's going to take a couple of weeks, but she's going to stop getting the reactions she's looking for and move on to some other poor victim." Alice explained.

"What about when you guys can't go to school with me?" Bella asked.

"Jasper won't be far away and neither will I, just like always." I told her.

Bella took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay."

"Great! Now, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Alice asked.

"I'm sure I've got homework to get done. And there's a test in Algebra coming up too that I should study for."

"You've been hanging out with Jasper too long. You'd really rather study than do anything else?" Alice asked.

"I don't want to go shopping Alice." Bella rightfully guessed.

"But shopping would take your mind off of everything!" Alice exclaimed.

"It's just a different kind of torture, I'd much rather study."

Before Alice could feign hurt I suggested, "How about a compromise? Why not watch a movie with us and I'll help you study later?"

"A movie would be nice. I haven't watched one in a while." Bella said.

"Ugh. It's Emmett's turn to pick." Alice said.

"And I've already got it picked out and ready to go." Emmett called from downstairs so Bella would hear.

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching a stupid monster movie, which turned out to be the perfect distraction for Bella. Afterwards, Esme fixed Bella dinner and then I helped her study.

As she was getting into bed Bella asked, "Do you think this plan of Alice's is going to work Edward?"

"Alice says it will. Besides, Lauren is just a common bully. Once she realizes she's not going to get a reaction from you, she'll leave you alone."

"Or try even harder." Bella mumbled.

"Trust in Alice, Bella."

"I do."

"Go to sleep. I'll stay with you tonight if you'd like."

"You stay with me every night, and I like it very much."

"Then we won't change a thing."

With Bella tucked under the blankets, I lay on top of them. She rested her head on my chest and I pulled my fingers through her hair and down her back while I hummed the new tune I'd started earlier. Bella fell asleep quickly and like earlier, her sleep was fitful. Jasper stopped in around midnight and sent waves of calm through the room and Bella's sleep was finally restful.

Bella got ready for school more slowly than normal the following day, still unsure of Alice's plan.

"It'll be fine Bella, I promise." Alice told her in the car for the eighth time that morning.

When we arrived at school, Bella was watched as always, but today, people seemed to be watching even more closely.

Jasper got to work immediately, bolstering Bella's confidence while passing around feelings of boredom to the rest of the student body. Soon, no one was paying any attention to Bella at all.

"I'm not sure what you just did, but thank you Jasper." Bella said quietly so no one passing by would hear.

"You are most welcome." He replied. _"That should hold every one for a while. Alice will let me know if I need to give another dose to everyone."_ Jasper thought.

I nodded my head only slightly to let him know I'd heard and then we were off to our first class.

The day went by without further incident, though I had a feeling it was more to do with Bella sticking with us than with anything else.

At home, Bella was visibly relieved that everything went so smoothly. She slept peacefully that night as well.

The next day, Bella was fine until just before lunch.

"Jasper, now's the time to start the plan into action. Lauren will be cornering Bella in the washroom any second." Alice told us.

"Jasper, while bolstering Bella's calm, give Lauren a dose of boredom, like you did yesterday. That might help this along a little." I said before he left.

"Edward, that's genius!"Alice gushed. "Bella will only have to deal with this for few more days instead of another week."

"I aim to please, especially where Bella is concerned." I said.

Emmett snorted and then his booming laugh caught almost every one's attention. Rosalie and Alice joined him, and I did too after a moment.

"Do you ever think about anything _other_ than Bella?" Rosalie asked.

"Lately? No. Who'd have thought a tiny slip of a human girl would captivate all of my attention so easily?" I mused out loud.

"None of us, that's for sure. Honestly Ed, I never thought you'd ever find yourself a…" Emmett trailed off as Bella joined us at the table.

"Where's Jasper?" Alice asked.

"I'm not sure. I passed him as I was coming out of the washroom, but he didn't follow. I'm glad he was there though, Lauren followed me in. It was so weird, she started in like normal, and then just trailed off in midsentence and walked away. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but don't you think she'll get a little suspicious if he makes the feeling that strong?" Bella asked.

"No, if anything, it'll probably further things along." Alice said as she looked around for Jasper. "I don't see him anywhere."

"I'll go look for him." Emmett offered.

"Thanks Em." Alice smiled at him.

As Emmett got up to leave, Lauren walked in and stopped midway through the cafeteria to glare at Bella, though she didn't walk over or say anything. Her mind was a confused mess. She couldn't figure out why she'd decided part way into her tirade to just leave Bella alone. Jasper's influence had been pretty strong. She brushed it off as remembering that people were waiting for her at lunch, but decided she'd get Bella alone later and make up for lost time.

Emmett came in with Jasper close behind then.

"Where were you?" Alice asked Jasper.

"I just needed a minute." He said. _"So much hatred, I just don't get it. There's no reason behind it at all."_ He thought.

"Everything okay?" Bella asked, always thinking of others before herself.

Jasper smiled at her, relaxing himself even more, "I'm good, thanks. Just needed a minute to wind back down."

"You lie just as badly as I do, you know that?" Bella laughed.

"Why Bella, how you wound. I will have you know, I am an exceptional liar." Jasper feigned insult.

"You'd be even better if you could look me in the eye when you do it." Bella said.

"She's right you know." Rosalie said. "You never look any one in the eye when you are lying to them."

"Of course, he rarely looks any one by Alice in the eye any time he's talking to them anyway." Emmett commented.

All of the tension erased, we all had a good laugh, even Jasper.

"_It's great to hear Bella laughing again."_ Emmett thought.

Everyone else's thoughts were variations of the same and they were right, it was great to hear Bella laughing.

Lauren tried one other time to corner Bella that day, and like before Jasper was there. This continued on for three more days and finally Lauren's automatic response was that she was bored with the whole thing. She left Bella alone for good after that.

"Now that that's all over and done with, we have to get working on prom!" Alice told me on our way to collect Bella from P.E. a week later. "We don't have much time left, only two weeks."

"I know Alice. I'm sure you've already got it all figured out. My only question is, will Bella know before she gets in the car where she's going?" I asked.

"I think it's better left a surprise." She told me as Bella and my brothers came into view.

"Ready to feed the human?" Bella joked as we met up with Rosalie and headed for the cafeteria.


	23. Chapter 21

**Insert usual disclaimer here**

BPOV

Edward and Alice had been getting secretive lately. I asked Jasper about it, but he didn't know anything – or that's what he told me, anyway.

When I asked Alice what was going on, she just laughed her bell-like laugh and told me not to worry about it. The rest of my family proved to be equally unhelpful.

I didn't have much time to think about whatever Edward and Alice were up to, thankfully. Most of my attention was focused on studying for final exams.

Everyone had been so helpful through the semester with making sure I kept up with the rest of the class. I was actually pulling an A average in most of my classes.

When I first started back, the family, with the exception of Carlisle and Esme, practically did my homework for me. In class, there would be someone to help me with the answer if the teacher called on me. At first, tests were difficult, even with all of the studying every one helped me with. I caught up fairly quickly though, and now I study mostly on my own while Edward plays the piano and Alice shops.

"It's not fair!" Alice pouted.

"It's ingenious is what it is." Emmett said proudly.

"I'm sorry Alice, really, but I do have to study." I told her for the third time that day.

"I wish I could use that excuse." Emmett grumbled.

Rosalie playfully smacked him upside the head.

"What? You two shopping is scarier than the bear that did me in. Bella is smart enough to get out of it any way she can." Emmett said.

"But it's not just an excuse." I said. "Finals start on Tuesday. Now that I am doing okay in all my classes…" I started.

"Okay?!| Rosalie exclaimed indignantly. "Bella, you have A's in just about everything. I'd say you are doing a far sight better than "okay"."

"Well, anyway, I want to pass all my tests. I haven't had the same classes enough times to be able to recite the text book from memory." I finished.

Emmett snorted a laugh. "She does have a point."

"A quite valid one." Edward said as he walked into the dining room where I'd spread out to do my last bits of homework the teachers had assigned before finals began.

"Edward." Alice sighed. "You always take her side."

"Of course." He replied as he kissed me on the top of my head.

Edward and Alice stared at each other for a moment and then Edward ever so slightly nodded his head.

"What are you two up to?" I asked looking between them.

"I think I left our movie playing, Rose." Emmett said.

"I'll help you remember where we left off." Rosalie offered as they both left the room quickly.

"What excuse do you have Jasper?"I asked.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about, but I'm going back to my book, in my study, with the door closed." He said, and then looked at Alice. "And possibly locked." He added, and then he was gone too.

"Out with it." I said looking between Alice and Edward again.

"Oh, Bella." Alice said as she started laughing. "Please tell me that wasn't your stern voice."

"Don't spoil her fun Bella." Edward said softly as he sat down in the chair next to mine.

Alice abruptly stopped laughing. "Don't say another word Edward Cullen. You'll ruin everything!" she shouted.

"Relax Alice…"Edward started.

Alice was behind us and had her hand over Edward's mouth faster than I could blink.

"I mean it! Not another word." She said, using a much sterner voice than I had. "As a matter of fact, leave the room. I don't want to chance anything."

"Alice, that's ridiculous! Besides, he promised to help me study tonight." I said.

"It's true. You wouldn't have me breaking a promise to Bella, would you Alice?" Edward asked.

He looked up at her as she stood over him, the picture of innocence.

I seemed to be everyone weak card these days. If it involved something for me, the family was pretty easily manipulated. I wasn't sure if I should be proud, or disgusted with how easily everyone used it to their advantage.

"If you ruin this, Edward, I swear I'll never forgive you." Alice threatened as she marched out of the room.

"Don't worry, she'd forgive me eventually." Edward muttered.

"No I wouldn't!" Alice yelled from the living room.

"Yes, you would." Edward replied calmly. "Besides, I picked up that package for you. It's in…"

"The car. Got it!" Alice replied, apparently appeased.

"I'm not even going to ask." I muttered as I bent back over the math homework I had been working on before I was interrupted.

****EPOV****

Bella quickly became lost to her homework. I helped when she needed it, but mostly I just sat quietly and watched her.

Bella's face could be quite expressive at times, though, only when she was too caught up in whatever she was concentrating on to remember to keep her face blank. She'd mastered that during her run-ins with Lauren.

I could see as I watched Bella the flashes of frustration over particularly difficult problems, though it never lasted long. I could also see the exact moment when she'd solve those difficult problems. Her entire face would practically glow with her private triumph.

"What are you smiling about?" She asked.

"You." I answered. "I love your expressions. Normally you keep your face quite schooled, which is highly frustrating, by the way. But sometimes you forget and allow yourself to show what you are feeling."

Bella ducked her head back down as she blushed crimson.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's pretty much the only time I know what is going on in that pretty little head of yours." I chuckled.

"I didn't even realize I was doing it, to be honest. Between Phil and my dad, well, it was a way to keep them from having an excuse to go after me, and it's just a habit now I guess." Bella said as she started working on the next problem on the page.

"You know, you don't have to do that anymore. I know I'd be appreciative if you didn't. Not being able to hear your mind is beyond frustrating for me."

"Welcome to the world the rest of us live in Edward." Bella laughed.

"I love your laugh."

"Are you trying to distract me from my homework?"

"I would never." I said as I leaned toward her and lifted her face to mine for a kiss.

Bella's reaction was almost my undoing. Instead of our usual chaste kisses, Bella's lips parted and her arms wrapped around my neck.

For a blissful moment I could taste Bella's very essence.

Reality came in the form of the monster inside of me roaring in my head. For a split second, I grabbed Bella even tighter, however, before she could even realize what was happening, I gently pushed her away from me.

I was out the kitchen door and twenty yards into the forest in less than ten seconds.

I stopped and realized I was panting as if I was human and had just run a marathon.

I could hear Bella calling me from the kitchen door. As much as I wanted to go back and comfort her, to let her know that this wasn't her fault, I knew better than to go near her right now.

"He's okay Bella." I heard Alice telling her. _"You are okay, right?"_

"_I'm fine. I just need a few minutes of fresh air."_

"_I'll let her know."_

"Come on Bella, I'll help you finish up your math homework until Edward comes back. He just needs a few minutes." Alice told her.

"Edward."

I whirled around to find Jasper behind me.

"How did you sneak up on me?"

"You were fairly distracted. I imagine it wasn't difficult. What happened? I've never felt you so frightened before."

"I kissed Bella."

Jasper started to laugh but stopped quickly when he realized how serious I was.

"I presume it wasn't what you expected?"

"Normally, it's fine. But this time something happened. I almost lost control. I could feel myself slipping, allowing my instincts to take over. Bella didn't even know, and I was back in control faster than she could have realized something was happening."

"So this is more about you not being sure of yourself than anything else?"

"No, this is about the fact that I almost lost control and was ready to drain her dry." I practically snarled.

"Ed. You know this is only going to end one of three ways. One, she's turned, two, we eventually leave her to face life on her own, or three, an accident happens and she is killed. I can tell you no one wants options two or three to happen."

"Option one is not an option. Find a fourth option." I bit out.

Jasper sighed. "I'm going to go tell them you are going for a walk. Ed, you know as well as I do that there are only three options."

"No, there is a fourth, she stays with us, we make sure there are no accidents, and then we allow her to live a human life."

"A human life? How is she supposed to live a human life in a house filled with vampires? How will she explain to others that we are her family who never ages? Will you expect her to move every few years as we do? Do you really think she'll be truly happy having to do all of that? That is no life for a human Edward." Jasper snapped at me and then walked away.

He was right, of course. But damning Bella to this life just wasn't right. Suddenly the vision that Alice shared with me months ago flashed through my mind.

None of us would have a choice in the matter if that happened.

Bella had asked just a few minutes prior to that vision if she'd ever truly be a part of the family. I had been so upset to realize what she'd meant. Didn't she know how pure her soul was? Did she truly believe she was so unworthy of saving that she should be damned to this life?

I hadn't realized how far I'd walked until I was standing in the middle of the meadow.

The only reason I'd even stopped was due to a vaguely familiar scent in the air. It was old, but only by a few hours, not strong enough to follow. For some reason, the scent made me uneasy.

I turned around and pulled my cell phone out as I started for home.

Alice picked up on the first ring.

"I know, I've already got her taking a shower and then she's going to wait for you in her room. She doesn't suspect anything, but she is worried about you."

"Thanks Alice. What worries me the most is I can't place this scent. I _know_ I've come across it before."

"Just hurry home. Don't mention anything to her about it, but do explain your actions to her. She thinks she's done something wrong and upset you."

"I will. Thanks."

Just as I hung up the phone, I caught a scent that I'd become all too familiar with, and it was fairly new. The trail was leading toward the house. It veered off about twenty yards away, the exact point I'd stopped as I'd run from Bella earlier. Had Jasper been right? Had I been so distracted that I hadn't even realized someone else was out here earlier?

I pulled out my cell phone again and dialed Emmett's phone.

"What's up Ed? Alice said you were on your way back."

"I'm about twenty yards into the forest behind the house. I need you to come out here. Now."

"On my way."

I paced furiously while I waited the two minutes for Emmett to make his way out.

"What's going…" he trailed off as he caught the scent too. "What the hell? How did no one catch that earlier?"

"I have no idea, but take Jasper and follow it. I don't like how close she got to the house. Especially after earlier. Bella could have come out here to look for me and no one would have been able to do anything."

"I'm coming too." Carlisle said as he and Jasper came up behind Emmett.

"Alice?" Emmett asked.

"Of course." Jasper said.

"That can be so freaky sometimes, even after all these years." Emmett chuckled.

"We'll call with what we find." Jasper said as they took off.

I took several deep breaths before I made my way to the house.

Alice was waiting for me in the kitchen while Esme was busying herself with making dinner for Bella.

"She's smart Edward. She has several plans, and since she's thinking about all of them at the same time, I can't pinpoint what she's going to do or when." Alice said with obvious frustration. "They won't find her or anything else by the way."

"I'd rather we at least try. I'd at least like to know where the trail leads." I said.

"Let's not worry about it too much right now. Take this up to Bella and help her study." Esme said, handing me a plate of pasta and a glass of milk.

Nodding, I headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

I didn't hear the shower running so I went straight to Bella's door.

She didn't answer when I knocked, so I cracked the door slightly.

Bella was sitting on her window seat staring outside.

"Bella?" I asked.

A small scream came from Bella as she practically jumped off the seat and she turned her head toward me so quickly she hit it on the window frame.

Wincing, I put her food on her vanity and went to sit next to her.

"I'm sorry I frightened you. I knocked but you didn't answer."

"It's okay." She said rubbing her head.

"What were you thinking about so hard?"

"I was trying to figure out if I was seeing things, actually."

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing."

"Tell me anyway?"

"I thought I saw a woman down there," she pointed, "just at the edge of the forest. I'm sure it was just a trick of the shadows or something though."

It sounded as if Bella was trying to convince herself more than me.

"Well, if you're sure, Esme made you dinner, and I did promise to help you study."

"Actually, I'm really not all that up for studying tonight, but I am pretty hungry."

"Bella, about earlier…"

"It's okay Edward. You don't have to explain."

"I do actually. It wasn't your fault. It's just, you caught me off guard and…"

"Really, Edward, it's okay."

"Bella," I sighed, "let me finish. You caught me off guard. I wasn't prepared for either of our reactions. I have to be very careful with my actions around you. You don't know how fragile you are. For a moment, I lost control. Don't try to tell me you didn't feel how tightly I'd held you; I can see the bruises forming on your arms."

Thoroughly disgusted with myself, I stood to pace the room.

"What bruises…?" She asked as she looked down at her arms. "Oh."

"Oh? I could have crushed you and your only reaction is "oh"?"

"Honestly, I've had worse and no, I didn't even notice. Is that why you ran? Because you lost control?"

"Yes. Bella, don't you see? I was ready to…to…" I couldn't even finish.

"So, I'll be more careful next time."

I could do nothing more than stare at her.

"Or not. I'm sorry, I guess I misunderstood you. Edward, um, if you don't mind, I think I'm just going to go to bed, I'm pretty tired."

I continued to stand there, struck dumb.

"Bella…"

"No, it's fine, but I really am tired. Good night Edward." Bella said as she started towards her bed.

She lay down with her back to me and not wanting to make a bigger idiot of myself, I turned her light off and made my way out.

"Good night Bella." I said as I closed the door.

"Edward, you idiot!" Alice yelled at me.

"Alice I…" We both looked toward Bella's door as we could clearly hear her muffled crying.

"Get back in there and straighten this out." Alice demanded.

"Alice, maybe it's better this way." I suggested.

Alice's eyes flashed with a fury I'd never seen before.

"Either you get back in there and straighten this out, or I will do it for you." She threatened.

I could see the plan formulating in her head even as she thought it up.

"For someone so tiny, you are rather irritating, you know that?"

"Thank you, now get in there. If Emmett comes back and hears her crying, I'm going to tell him it's your fault and let him have at you."

Taking a deep breath, I knocked softly and opened Bella's door.

She was curled on her side with her back still to the door.

"Bella." I sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I understand."

"I don't think you do." I said as I sat down on the opposite side of the bed. "Let me explain, please?"

Bella sniffled and then rolled over.

"I'm sorry I've made you cry." I said softly as I brushed away a stray tear. "Come here." I said as I pulled her toward me.

"Edward, you don't have to…"

"Just give me a moment to put my thoughts in order, I want to say this correctly so there are no further misunderstandings." I said as I lay back and Bella put her head on my chest.

I pulled my fingers through her hair absently while I tried to get my myriad of thoughts into order.

"Bella, you never react the way I expect you to, the way a _normal_ person would."

"You're saying I'm not normal?"

"I hear voices in my head and you are worried that you're not normal?" I chuckled. "No, what I mean is, earlier tonight, with the kiss, instead of our usual, safe kiss, you reacted aggressively. You've never done that before."

"I know, I have no idea what came over me."

"Well, I know what came over me, my instincts roared in my head and I nearly lost control of myself. Bella, I was so frightened I would have hurt you and worse. Then, just a few moments ago, instead of screaming and running in terror, you calmly suggested that it was your fault and then you would be more careful the next time. Bella, it was not your fault, and while the thought of next time puts a rather idiotic smile upon my face, I worry that I'll lose control again."

Bella stiffened, "So, you're saying there won't be a next time?"

"Yes, there will be a next time. I'm afraid I can't keep myself from you. You seem to have placed me under some sort of spell Bella, one that I'm not sure I want broken."

"Good. Because I love you and I don't want you to go away again."

"I love you too."

We lay silently for some time just holding each other.

"Do you want me to leave so you can get to sleep?"

"No, I'd rather you stay tonight. I can't shake the feeling that it wasn't shadows out there tonight and it's kind of creeping me out."

"Okay." I said and I cursed our having become so complacent with the lack of sightings.

I continued to pull my fingers through Bella's hair and eventually she fell asleep. I briefly left her to take the pasta back to the kitchen.

Esme wrapped it and put it into the refrigerator. Alice had told her about the misunderstanding.

"I take it everything is settled."

"Yes, she's asleep. Have they called?"

"Not yet."

"Bella saw her. She's convinced herself that it was just the trees creating shadows, and I'm encouraging that for now, but that woman got close to the house and none of us sensed it."

"Well, the important thing right now is that Bella is watched. Tomorrow night, she is not to be out of any of your sight at any time. If she goes to the ladies room, Alice and/or Rosalie are to go with her. All of you stay together, keep an eye on each other and on Bella."

"You know we will. I should get back up there, she worries if she wakes and I'm not there." I hugged Esme on my way out of the kitchen.

Bella hadn't moved at all when I got back to her room, but something was off.

Looking around, I saw the curtain rustling in the slight breeze. The window had not been open when Bella had gone to sleep.

And then I caught the scent again. She'd been up to the house, she opened the window.

Rushing over to Bella, I realized that she was not in the exact position I had left her. The arm that had been across my chest was now behind her and a long gash was on her arm.


	24. Chapter 22

**Usual disclaimer, the only characters that are mine are evil Phil, and any characters that I make up that aren't in the book, oh and evil Chief Swan, because, let's face it, mine is SO not the one from the book.**

**EPOV**

It took a moment for me to realize that the smear on Bella's arm wasn't blood. I had been too enraged to realize that the gash wasn't affecting me the way her blood would.

Picking her arm up gently, I realized it was mud, smeared to resemble blood.

I had to put her arm down gently and back away slowly as my anger began to boil over. I could not prevent the growling that resonated deep in my chest and passed through my lips.

Alice and Rosalie rushed into the room hearing my growling looking around frantically.

"Edward, what's going on?" Rosalie whispered.

"Oh my God, Bella!" Alice exclaimed quietly.

"It's not blood." I growled.

I turned to the window as I heard running and stepped out of the way quickly as first Emmett, then Jasper and finally Carlisle jumped into the window.

"Damn!" Emmett whispered seeing Bella still asleep.

"Everyone, quiet. Let's go down stairs where we can discuss this without fear of waking Bella." Carlisle quietly demanded.

"Send Esme up with something to clean this up first, then I'll be down. Bella should not be left alone at any time right now." I said.

"Agreed." Jasper said.

They filed out of the room quietly while I went back to Bella's side and gently stroked her cheek with my knuckles.

Esme came in quickly with a wet rag.

Nodding to each other I stood and walked to the door as she went to Bella's side and began to gently clean Bella's arm.

I found every one gathered around the dining room table where, just hours earlier, we'd all had a good natured argument over Bella's studying instead of going shopping with Alice and Rosalie. They'd all been waiting for me, mostly worried about how I was going to react.

As calmly as I could manage, I sat next to Jasper, in great need of his ability to calm. He, thankfully, began to spread the calm through the room without prompt.

"She's taunting us! She was in the house, in Bella's ROOM with some of us still in the house. How did we not know she was here?!" I demanded.

"I have no idea. She's leaving a trail, that much is certain. We followed her scent around in circles through the forest at first, but then it back tracked, straight to the house. We tried to call but couldn't get through." Carlisle explained in his ever-calm manner.

"I checked it out when we got back. The phone lines were cut." Emmett said.

"And you turned your cell phone off when you came back in from your walk to talk to Bella." Alice added. "I don't understand how I didn't see this."

"You said yourself, she's thinking about all of her plans at one time. It's going to be impossible to tell what she's going to do and when." I said.

"You know she'll be watching tomorrow night." Jasper commented quietly.

"She can't get past us all." Emmett declared, pounding his fist on the table.

"She won't, we'll all be with Bella at all times. As Esme said earlier, even when Bella goes to the ladies room, Rose and/or Alice will go with her, and to be honest, I'd prefer you both to go, and we'll be waiting just outside the door." I said as everyone nodded their agreement. "And one last thing, Bella is under no circumstances to know anything about any of this."

"I think we should tell her." Rosalie said quietly.

"She has too much on her mind as it is." I argued.

"What if something happens tomorrow night and we have to make a run for it? Don't you think she'll panic and make getting her out of there even harder?" She argued back.

"No, I think she won't leave the house, or worse, she'll do something stupid, but right in her own mind, if we tell her now. If we tell her and nothing happens, she'll have panicked for no reason, if we leave her in the dark and nothing happens, she'll have a much better time tomorrow." I explained.

"Edward's right. I don't think she'll make a move with all of those people around, and you will all be on your guard tomorrow night." Carlisle said.

"It's settled then." I said.

We all went to our rooms, though I just showered and changed and went back to Bella's room.

"She hasn't so much as twitched." Esme reported.

Nodding, I lay down next to her and pulled her back into my arms. Bella barely registered she was being moved.

"Is everything decided?" Esme asked.

"We're going to proceed as originally planned. Carlisle thinks she won't make a move with all of those people around tomorrow night, and Bella will be studying all weekend with help from me, so I'll be able to keep an eye on her and stay alert for her mind. We're all finished with finals by Wednesday and graduation for Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper is Thursday afternoon and we'll leave straight from there. She can't follow us then. Alice said the graduation will be outside, but almost as soon as the ceremony ends the sun will be out, but we'll be in the car by then and she'll have to hide until Thursday night. We'll be gone by then."

Esme nodded, her thoughts on Bella and her safety as she left the room quietly.

*****Friday Afternoon*****

Bella had finally had her fill of trying to figure out the big surprise by lunch. Admittedly, prom had been second in our minds since last night.

Thankfully, Bella had not woken at all during the night and so was still blissfully unaware of the situation. She did, however, notice the tension that was hanging thickly among all of us.

"So, who's going to tell me why everyone is so on edge today?" She asked, always more observant than any one gave her credit for.

"We've had a minor disagreement about our summer vacation plans." Emmett lied easily enough.

"I know!" Alice exclaimed, easily catching on and playing along. "Why don't we let Bella decide? It's her first one."

"Good idea." Jasper agreed. "Bella, where would you like to go for the summer?"

Bella took a moment and thought it over. For a few minutes everyone wondered if she'd answer at all.

"Well, I'd prefer to go someplace private, some place with no people around at all." She said quietly.

"Why?" Rosalie asked.

"Because, I'd like to be able to be out in the sun, with all of you. I think it would be fun." She answered.

Emmett looked at every one. "The private island?" He asked.

Of course, Bella didn't know that this had been the plan all along, but we could tell it made her feel as if she had been a part of the decision.

"The private island." Jasper agreed.

"What?" Bella asked surprised.

"Carlisle bought Esme an island a long time ago. It's where we go to get away from every one and have fun away from the public eye." Jasper explained.

"An island. Wow. What all do you do when you're there?" Bella asked.

"The same as anyone on an island get away." Rosalie said. "Lie out in the sun, swim, play volleyball, hike, sit around a campfire at night, the usual."

Bella didn't say anything and Jasper was the first to notice that Bella had stopped listening.

"Bella?" Jasper asked.

"Hm? Sorry. Just thinking." She answered.

"I can tell, want to tell us?" He prodded gently.

"I just have a bit of a dislike of going in the water." She said.

"Why?" Rosalie asked.

Bella took several moments to answer, but she sighed heavily, as if she'd resigned herself to answering, took a deep breath and said, "When I was younger, I used to like sitting by the pool in the back yard and put my feet in the water. Phil used to get so angry about it, so I'd always make sure to do it when he wasn't around. One time, he came home before his normal time and caught me. He decided the best way to teach me a lesson about going near the pool would be to throw me into the deep end and walk away. I could hear my mom yelling, and he told her that I'd either drown or learn to swim."

"Oh God, Bella." Rosalie said horrified.

"A neighbor had heard the yelling and the splashing. He called the police and then came over and got me out of the pool, but I'd already swallowed a lot of water and stopped breathing. He had to do CPR. Of course, Phil got out of any trouble for that, and I saw our neighbor keeping a closer eye on my mom and me after that. He's the one that called the police when…" Bella trailed off.

Quickly changing the subject, Alice said cheerily, "Well, we'll teach you how to swim and between the nine of us, I can guarantee there will be no drowning, unless Emmett holds me underwater like last time, and then I'll just sic Jasper on him and have him tied to a boulder at the bottom of the lake."

"Hey! It's not my fault! I thought you were that noodle thing." Emmett tried to defend himself.

Everyone laughed at the bantering except Bella.

"We'll see." She muttered, stuck in her own memories.

**End of the day Friday**

"Bella, I have to take Jasper and Emmett to run a few errands. I'm afraid that means that leaves you alone with Rose and Alice for a few hours. Think you can handle it?" I asked.

"Well, I can always hide in my room with the door locked and the music turned up so I can pretend I don't hear them pounding on my door." Bella joked.

"Not this time. They're already waiting for you."

"Is this some kind of punishment for last night?"

"No." I chuckled. "I'll see you in a few hours."

I pulled right up to the door and she got out of the car.

As I was about to put the car in drive, she turned around, stuck her head back in the car and said, "Good bye Edward. It's been nice knowing you." Then stood tall, squared her shoulders, turned around and stoically walked in the front door.

Jasper and Emmett came out as she went in and laughing we all pulled out.

**BPOV**

I entered the house slowly expecting them to jump out at me from every corner.

I made it all the way up to my room and had just closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief thinking I was safe. When I turned around and found them standing there waiting for me, I couldn't help but scream.

They had devious smiles on their faces and maniacal glint in their eyes.

"Ah, Bella. Welcome home. We've been waiting for you." Alice said.

"I'm still not going shopping with you." I said as resolutely as I could.

"Oh, we know. We went shopping without you." Rosalie said.

"I don't want to be a guinea pig either." I declared.

"Too bad. Now, go shower and wash your hair." Rosalie demanded.

Narrowing my eyes, I regarded all the shopping bags they'd spread out on my bed, and the line-up of shoes along the side of it. "Why?"

"Because, if you don't do it yourself, we'll come in and help you." Alice threatened.

Sighing, I resigned myself to a night of make-over horror, grabbed my toiletry bag and went to take my shower.

Thirty minutes later, I was rosy from the heat and relaxed enough to go along with whatever they wanted to do to me.

"Hair and face washed, legs shaved and squeaky clean." I reported as I walked into the room.

"Good." Alice said. "Here, put these on and your robe then have a seat in front of the mirror."

Taking the garments Alice handed to me, I went to the closet and put them and my robe on. At least I wouldn't have to sit there in nothing but a towel.

When I came back out, they were lining up make up products promising beauty and perfection, it'd be a miracle if that could actually be achieved.

I sat obediently for almost an hour while they experimented on me. Finally pleased with themselves, they moved on to my hair.

Alice began brushing the tangles out while Rosalie turned on a curling and flat iron, lined hair products galore and multiple varieties of brushes and hair accessories.

Alice moved on to drying my hair then Rosalie applied some kind of goop which was brushed through and then came the flat iron followed closely by the curling iron.

About an hour and a half later they stepped back to admire their work and then sprayed enough hair spray on my head to make me wonder if this would be a permanent look.

Those devious smiles returned as they looked me up and down.

"Okay Bella, shoes first." Rosalie said while pointing at the row of shoes.

"But, they're all heels." I said weakly.

"You'll be fine." Rose sighed.

"I've never worn heels before." I admitted.

"You…what?" She asked, sounding astonished. "Alice?"

"She'll be fine, any pair will do." Alice assured.

"Okay, what's going on?" I demanded.

"Nothing. Now pick." Rosalie answered.

Randomly pointing at a pair of pretty strappy shoes, I said, "Those are nice?"

"You sound like you are asking." Rose chuckled.

"Now for jewelry." Alice said gleefully.

It took forty five minutes and much arguing between Rose and Alice before a suitable pair of earrings, necklace and a bracelet were chosen.

"And now, Rose, we'll need to help her with the clothes." Alice said.

"Nylons first. She can do those on her own." Rosalie replied.

Sighing, I grabbed the nylons from Rosalie and struggled into the unruly things.

"Okay, robe off, eyes closed and we'll help you to step in." Alice said.

"Step in to what?" I asked not moving.

"Don't ruin this Bella, please. We're having too much fun!" Alice pleaded with me.

"Ugh, fine. You're lucky you're so cute when you pout or you'd never get away with anything." I said as I took my robe off, closed my eyes and waited for whatever came next.

I could hear the rustling of the plastic garment bag that I'd noticed hanging on the back of my door when I came in.

"Okay. I've got your arm." Rosalie said as she held my left arm. "Lift your right leg, good, now your left. Okay, now hold still and keep your eyes closed."

I could feel the material sliding up my legs and over my torso. Then I heard the zipper being pulled up my back.

Playing with my hair a little and telling me to stop fidgeting, I was led somewhere else in my room.

"Okay Bella, open your eyes." Alice said, the excitement ringing in her voice.

I opened my eyes slowly and then blinked rapidly.

They had led me to stand in front of my mirror. The person I saw in the reflection couldn't possibly be me.

I lifted my hand and touched the mirror in astonishment, thinking that the moment my hand made contact, the image would ripple and disappear.

"I look…"I trailed off.

"Beautiful." Rosalie said from behind me.

I couldn't take my eyes off my reflection.

"Don't you dare cry. The mascara may be water proof, but the rest isn't." Alice demanded.

"How did you…I mean this is…Wow." Was all I could manage.

"You're welcome." Alice and Rosalie said in unison.

They had evened out my skin tone, added just a hint of a blush to my cheeks, made my eyes look smoky and beautiful; my lips were a slight pink, nothing too flashy or obvious. My whole face looked almost natural, the one thing giving it away at all being my eyes.

Somehow, they had made my hair behave. It was up in a stylish, messy chignon with strands purposely left out which had been given a slight curl to frame my face and rest just below my collar bone. A beautiful clip held the chignon in place.

The dress they had picked out belonged on a model in a magazine. The blue was the color Edward had once commented on as being his favorite color on me. It had intricate black velvet patters running all over that caught the eye, yet did not distract from the overall beauty of the dress. It was strapless and fitted to my waist where it flared out into a ball gown style from my waist to my feet.

I could just see my toes peeking out from the bottom. I lifted the skirt to see the pretty, sparkly, silver, strappy shoes I'd chosen with the straps going part way up my calf to tie in a ballet shoe style. The heel, thankfully, was the square block kind, so I felt a bit more stable.

The jewelry they'd chosen turned out to be diamonds, real ones; a simple single diamond on a solid silver chain around my neck that rested in the hollow of my collar bone and a matching diamond bracelet on my left wrist in place of my watch. The earrings were small and simple, and were exactly like the necklace, a single diamond in each ear.

For once in my life, I felt I looked as beautiful as Alice and Rose told me I looked.

I had to touch the mirror again, just to make sure the image I was seeing was real.

"Okay, what was in those products you used on me? I think I'm hallucinating." I joked. I had to joke, it was that, or cry.

"I turned around to find Alice and Rosalie had done their hair and make-up and were zipping each other into beautiful dresses of their own. They could make any runway model violently jealous, I know I felt my jaw drop.

"We could let you be the only one having fun." Rosalie commented seeing me stare.

"Come on! Let's go show every one!" Alice declared excitedly.

"Uh, that's okay. You tow go ahead." I said.

"Bella?" Rosalie asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…well I…" I stuttered as I turned back to the mirror.

"Bella, you are beautiful with or without of the clothes and make-up. All we've done is make you see that." Rosalie said coming to stand beside me.

"It's not that." I said

"What is it then?" Alice asked gently.

"Do…do you think…"

"Edward won't be able to look away." Rosalie predicted.

I couldn't help the blush and smile that spread across my face.

"Ha!" Alice declared. "I told you the blush could be light, her natural blush is perfect."

Rosalie shook her head and laughed as she opened my door and went out first.

Alice grabbed my hand as if she knew I could use the support, both moral and physical, and led me to the top of the stairs.

"Rose, you look beautiful. " I could hear Emmett say.

"Take your time and come down when you are ready." Alice told me as she let go of my hand and descended the stairs.

"Alice." Jasper said. It was only her name, but that's all that was needed. Anyone could hear the unspoken love in Jasper's voice.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the banister and slowly made my way down the stairs. With every step, I could feel the butterflies more and more forcefully in my stomach.

I caught sight of every one before they saw me. All the guys were stunning in tuxedos that made the family look like royalty.

Edward in his tux took my breath away, literally, and I had to stop moving or risk falling.

*****EPOV*****

We all heard Bella pause on the stairs and take a deep breath.

She looked absolutely stunning.

"Oh wow." Emmett breathed.

"Beautiful" Japer whispered.

I was barely able to get Bella's name past my lips.

I couldn't stop myself from to her as she started back down the stairs.

"Bella." I breathed as I took her hand.

"Edward…You look…wow." She said, a blush spreading across her face.

"Absolutely stunning." I finally managed to get out as I looked her over. "Remind me to thank Alice and Rosalie later."

"The look on your face…" Alice started.

"Not to mention your stumbling over words for once…" Rosalie cut in.

"Is thanks enough." Alice finished.

"Edward, are you forgetting something?" Rosalie prompted me.

"What? Oh, right." I had been so caught up with Bella I'd been distracted and forgotten her corsage.

Turning at the bottom of the stairs, I lifted the orchid from the side table and then took Bella's left hand and put it on her wrist, just behind her bracelet.

"Perfect." I heard Alice whisper.

"Yes, she is." I agreed looking into Bella's eyes.

"Before you go…" Esme called from the living room. "I want pictures."

"I want one with Bella." Every one said in unison.

Standing and looking at each other stupidly for a few seconds, Esme took the opportunity to snap a picture of the moment, and then we all broke down in laughter.

"Why don't we get a group shot first?" Bella suggested.

We lined up in front of the piano, Bella and I in the center, and Esme took several photos.

Then we took several more photos of each couple followed by endless photos of every one posing with Bella.

"Bella take this with you tonight." Esme said as she handed Bella her camera. "I expect the memory card to be full when you get home."

"Home from where?" Bella asked.

Laughing, we all said our goodbyes, got into our separate cars, and left.

"Now will you tell me what's going on?" Bella asked as we pulled onto the main road.

"You seriously haven't figured it out?" I asked astonished. "Maybe you're not as observant as I'd thought. Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

Bella huffed and stared out her window.

We'd made it almost all the way to the school parking lot when Bella sat up in her seat and put her hand on the window looking behind us.

"Bella?" I asked.

She didn't answer.

I reached over and put my hand on her arm. "Bella?"

"Sorry. I just thought I saw…" She trailed off.

"It's alright."

"I think I'm losing my mind." She said sadly.

"It's okay Bella." I assured her. "Are you ready?" I asked as I pulled into the parking lot.

"Ready for…what?" Bella said as she looked around. "Edward, what are we doing here?"

I caught a hint of panic in the tremor of Bella's voice.

"You are dressed in a formal ball gown, I'm in my best tuxedo, Esme wants pictures, there are limos out front…" I trailed off.

"But why are we here?" Bella asked.

"It's the night of the prom Bella." I answered.

"I know, I've seen the signs and the decorations and all of that. But why are WE here?"

"To dance, and have fun?" I answered.

The panic was building more rapidly now. "Bella, what's wrong?"

"I…I can't go in there." Bella stammered.

She turned in her seat and she was practically pleading with me, tears in her eyes.

"Bella, it will be fine. We will be with you all night. No one is going to say anything to you, they'll have to deal with Emmett if they try."

"I can't dance." She tried.

"You won't have to. I'll do all the work. What's really going on Bella?"

"I…I …"

I was out of the car and had Bella's door open in seconds. I pulled her to me and held her securely.

"Shhhh, Bella, shhhh. It's okay. Calm down." I soothed.

I could feel Bella shaking in my arms, not crying, but shaking as if she was terrified.

The others were coming up behind me slowly. Jasper had tasted the emotions in the air and knew something was going on.

"Edward?" Emmett asked.

"Why don't you go ahead? We're just going to take a few minutes here." I said.

"_Do you need me to hang back?"_ Jasper thought.

I nodded ever so slightly. Bella wouldn't have noticed with the tremors raking her body.

I could feel the calm permeating the air. Bella may not have realized what Jasper was doing, but slowly the tremors slowly faded and Bella was still in my arms.

"Bella, tell me what's going on."

"I just can't…"

"You can, just tell me what's going on."

She was silent for so long, I was afraid she wouldn't answer at all.

Finally, sometime later, she took a deep breath, followed by another and a third. "Before I came here," she started, so quietly, I had to strain to hear her, "last school year, in Phoenix, I was allowed to go to a school dance. My mom said it would be our secret. She bought me a pretty dress, did my hair and make up for me, and the boy who asked me even came to our door and picked me up. We'd just gotten there and a group of his friends and their dates were making small talk with us. But…"

"Bella, its okay, what happened next?"

"Everyone suddenly stopped talking and they were looking behind me at the door. "Bella," one of the girls said, "isn't that your step-dad?". And I turned around, and there he was. He was livid. He marched over to us, shoved my date aside, one girl tried to step between us, and he smacked her. He grabbed my arm, so tightly, and dragged me out of there. Everyone was watching it happen, my date, he tried to get one of the teachers nearby to help, and he tried, even got security involved. The next thing I knew, the teacher and security were saying that if my father said I had to leave, then I have to leave. You can probably guess how that night ended."

"Oh Bella." I sighed as I held her even closer. "He's not going to show up here. I won't let anyone hurt you like that again. I promise."

"You can't make that promise Edward; I know Phil is still out there, and that he's even more dangerous now than he was before. He could just as easily show up here and hurt not just me, but every person in there as he did last year."

Bella started shaking again as her terror threatened to overpower her.

From somewhere nearby, Jasper sent another wave of calm over us. I knew he'd heard everything and would be telling the others, which would be easier on Bella, and, if I was being honest, me as well.

"Tonight is about us Bella, having fun, forgetting about our troubles for a few hours at the very least." I said softly.

"How?" She asked. I could see the pleading in her eyes.

It seemed every time she was about to let go and enjoy herself something would send her spiraling back to her past.

"By trusting me, Love." I said as I slowly started to steer here toward the door. I didn't like being out in the open not with that woman out there, especially after she'd been inside of Bella's room last night.

"Edward…" Bella pleaded.

"Shhh, Love. It's okay. We're going to go inside, Jasper is going to help you calm down, and then we are going to have a very enjoyable evening. You are going to take lots of pictures for Esme to gush over later with you and Alice and Rosalie. Tomorrow, you are going to sleep in and then I'm going to help you study over the weekend for finals next week." I told her as we continued inside.

Jasper had gone ahead of us and I could hear him telling the others what had happened. Everyone's thoughts were basically the same in their wish to hunt down Phil and make him pay for all he'd done to Bella.

Just as I told her, Jasper met us at the entrance and, placing his hand on Bella's shoulder calmed her down. Bella smiled at him gratefully and then turned back to me, her grip tightening so much so that her knuckles were turning white.

"Are you ready?" I asked her quietly in her ear.

"Not in the least, let's go." She said.

Smiling and shaking my head, I lead her inside the gymnasium, which had been transformed into a rather nicely decorated ballroom.

Everyone stopped to stare as Bella and I walked in, their minds all in disbelief that Bella looked as exquisite as she did.

The rest of the night passed without incident. Bella did indeed fill the memory card, with a bit of help from my siblings. I was, yet again, astounded at Bella's talent as a photographer.

"Edward?" Bella said as we were dancing later.

"Hm?" I asked near her ear.

"Thank you, for this." She said softly.

"Ed, let's show 'em how it's done." Emmett said as he led Rosalie around the dance floor, followed quickly by Alice and Jasper.

"I can't dance Edward, especially not like that." Bella said a little shakily.

"Step onto my feet, I'll do all the work." I told her.

And then we danced. We danced for over an hour like that. At first Bella was rigid and apprehensive, but then she slowly let herself loosen up. Soon she was laughing and just enjoying herself. At some point Alice had grabbed Bella's camera and began snapping away at us dancing.

All too soon the night came to an end.

As we were gathering in the parking lot, Bella pulled me to a stop, naturally everyone else stopped as well.

"I just wanted to thank all of you for tonight. I haven't had this much fun in…ever?" Bella said.

"It was our pleasure Bella." Jasper said.

"It's time to go home every one." Emmett suddenly said, looking around. _"She's here."_

"Well, isn't this a touching fairy tale moment?" A voice said from behind us.

A small scream escaped Bella as I pulled her behind me.

"Get going Ed, we'll handle her." Emmett said.

"Edward." Bella pleaded as she grabbed my arm.

"Oh, don't leave just yet, the fun is just starting." The woman, Victoria, taunted.

"You're here alone tonight. Why is that, Victoria?" I asked her as calmly as I could.

"_Edward, Rosalie and I will start towards the car with Bella. Do not let her fight us as we take her." _ Alice thought.

"Do you really think you can take us?" Emmett taunted as a distraction.

Then he and Jasper started to herd her away from Bella and I giving me a moment to tell Bella what Alice needed.

"Go with them Bella, I'll be right behind you, I promise. We're just going to make sure she doesn't follow us home."

"No, don't leave me, please." She begged me.

"Bella, we have to go." Rosalie said taking her hands from my arm. "Come on, they'll be right behind us." She urged as Bella tried to struggle to get back to me.

Alice pulled up with Rosalie's car and Rose pushed Bella into the back and got in behind her as Alice drove out of the parking lot at top speed.

I turned my attention back to Victoria and my brothers.

"Well, gentleman, I see my prize has left, time for me to go too." She said as she turned and ran into the forest.

"I don't like this." Emmett said. "It was too easy."

"Why confront us at all tonight?" Jasper thought out loud.

"She was testing us, seeing how closely we'd fight to protect Bella. She wanted to see if Bella was just a pet or someone we actually value." I informed them.

"We need to get going. Bella's not going to take this well, especially after thinking she'd been imagining Victoria watching her this whole time." Emmett said as we headed toward my car.

I drove home as quickly as my car would allow and found Bella with Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Rosalie in the living room.

"What happened?" Carlisle asked.

"The red head, Victoria, decided to show herself at the dance." Jasper answered.

"Was anyone hurt?" Esme asked.

"No, she waited for us in the parking lot. She was scouting, looking to gain information." Emmett said.

"She got it too." I said. "Bella, are you alright?"

Bella hadn't moved or even looked up when we came in.

"Carlisle?" I asked.

"She hasn't said anything." He said.

Moving to sit in front of Bella so she would see me, I looked right into her eyes. They were glossed over and she had a faraway look on her face.

"Bella?" I said softly. "Bella, it's okay."

Still she didn't move.

"Jasper?" I looked at him to any sign of what was happening.

"There's nothing. It's like she's blocked herself off from me, or she's not feeling anything at all." He said, confusion in his voice.

"Edward, take her upstairs. Alice, Rose, get her into something more comfortable." Carlisle instructed.

"What are you going to do?" Esme asked.

"I'm going to sedate her and let her sleep this off. She'll be groggy later, but at least the shock will have worn off and she'll be able to process what happened." Carlisle said.

I carefully gathered Bella in my arms and took her upstairs, followed closely by Alice and Rosalie.

"Go change, I'll meet you in my room." I told them.

Skipping Bella's room, I went straight to mine. I laid Bella down on my couch and grabbed a pillow for her head. I looked around for the blanket before remembering that I'd taken it to Bella's room when I'd found her asleep on top of her blankets the other night.

Alice came in first with a change of clothes for Bella, and Rosalie was not far behind.

I stepped out while they changed Bella and went to her room to grab the blanket.

"Carlisle just went in." Rosalie told me as I got back.

"Going to see Emmett?" I asked.

"Yeah." She said and went down stairs.

"Edward, come and hold her hand, just in case this brings her back and she "freaks out", as Emmett would say." Carlisle told me.

I held Bella's hand, but she didn't so much as blink. After a few minutes, the sedative kicked in and Bella's eyes closed and she was sound asleep.

"That should last until morning at least. I don't want her left alone for a moment." Carlisle stated.

"It's why I brought her in here, that and Victoria was in Bella's room last night. If she somehow manages to get in again tonight, she won't find Bella there." I said.

"I'll have Emmett and Jasper take shifts in there tonight and tomorrow. I don't think it would be wise for you two to do your studying in her room tomorrow. Keep her in open parts of the house, the dining room the living room, even the kitchen, tomorrow and Sunday. Hopefully, after graduation, we'll have time to get a head start and Victoria won't be able to follow while we're gone this summer."

I watched for any sign of distress from Bella for the rest of the night and well into the next morning.

She finally started to wake around 11:30am and was quite groggy at first.

Bella started to sit up slowly, but then she got up and ran unsteadily to the bathroom.

I followed closely behind her and gathered her hair from her face just in time.

Esme came in a few moments later with a glass of water and some aspirin for Bella. She took my place while I wet a cloth to hold to Bella's forehead.

Esme rubbed Bella's back in what I presumed to be a soothing manner as Bella stopped heaving.

I pulled Bella back and into my arms and held her while she shook from the after affects.

"She has a fever." Esme said quietly.

"I know. Would you hand me the water and aspirin?" I asked. "Bella, take these." I said.

"What is it?" She asked, her voice scratchy and quiet.

"It's aspirin for your head and water to take it with." Esme told her.

Bella put the pills into her mouth and Esme helped her to hold the glass while she drank the water.

"I'll go call Carlisle. He got called in to the hospital early this morning." Esme said as she got up to leave.

"I'll take you back to…" I started only to stop as Bella pulled herself to the toilet again.

**A/N: I'm sorry to say that I'm stopping here this time around. Sorry guys. I'm working on the next chapter in my head. I've got it pretty well mapped out, it's just a matter of putting it into words. Thanks for reading! CLJ**


	25. In need of help

Hey all.

Sorry this is just an author's note, but I need your help.

I've been trying to find another fanfic that I loved the first time I read it, a little over a year ago now. In it, Bella was kidnapped by Victoria and held hostage in a warehouse. For torture, she broke all of Bella's fingers and her hand and then would turn the temp all the way up and then all the way down. At some point, Bella remembered that she had a cell phone on her and was able to secretly call Edward, but Victoria found the phone and tortured poor Bella some more.

In the end, Bella was rescued because Charlie had some cell phone tracking device and Edward was able to locate Bella with its use. Of course Bella was VERY sick because of the extreme temperature changes and all that, but she recovered in the very end.

Does anyone know this story? The author? The title? I want to be able to add it to my faves list and bookmark it because it was very well written and, honestly, one of my faves.

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

CLJ

p.s. I am working on the next chapter of "A New Life". I wouldn't expect it posted before the holidays, but you never know. I think, in total, there are 3-4 more chapters and then I've got another one in my head already. I'm not sure about a sequel for "A New Life" but we'll see.

Happy Holidays (whatever you celebrate)!!!!!!


	26. Chapter 23

**Usual chapter disclaimer, you know what it is**

EPOV

Carlisle came home two hours later and found me holding Bella's hair back. Again. We had yet to leave the bathroom.

"How's her fever?" He asked.

"Still high." I answered.

Bella weakly pushed herself back and into my arms and I held her as her body shook and her breathing evened out. She laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes with a weak and tired sigh.

"I'm sorry." She said hoarsely. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

Carlisle crouched down in front of us and held his hand to Bella's forehead. He then checked her pulse against his watch.

"I'm sorry as well, Bella. I checked your records at my office and it would appear you are allergic to the sedative I gave you. Normally, the only reaction you would have would be an elevated temperature and the possibility of nausea. I think that with the shock of last night, I inadvertently exacerbated your allergy." Carlisle explained.

"'S okay." Bella slurred as she snuggled closer to me. "'S not your fault."

"Edward, why don't you take her down to the living room and let her rest on the couch." Carlisle suggested. "Bella?"

Bella didn't respond.

"I think she's fallen asleep." I chuckled.

"I'm not surprised. Take her down. I'll have Esme bring in some sprite and crackers to help settle her stomach. Keep her occupied today and tomorrow and keep an eye on her fever." Carlisle instructed as he put his hand back on Bella's forehead.

Bella sighed in her sleep and turned her face into Carlisle's hand.

"Keep a cool compress on her head too." He added.

I carefully stood and went down to the living room.

As I was settling Bella on the couch and covering her, Esme came in with the sprite and crackers.

"The poor thing." She sighed as she looked Bella over.

"Where is every one?" I asked.

"They left early for a quick hunt and then Alice had something she wanted to do, she didn't say what." Esme explained. "Did she have fun last night at least?" She asked turning to move some of Bella's hair off of her face.

"She did. I'm hoping she'll think of last night as two separate events. She was laughing and smiling and finally enjoying herself."

Esme smiled as she busied herself around Bella.

"I'll be right back." I said as I stood up.

I went up to Bella's room to retrieve her book bag and to see if Victoria had come back. I hadn't expected her to, but better to err on the side of caution. Then I went to my room to change clothes and grab my own book bag.

When I returned to the living room, I found Esme had seated next to Bell and was recovering her with the blanket.

"She keeps trying to kick it off." Esme explained at my questioning look.

"It's the fever. Her body is too hot and is trying to cool itself down. She should be kept covered though." I said.

Esme left us then to go find Carlisle. I set our book bags down, checked Bella's fever and then went to my piano. Bella always rested more easily hearing me play for her; I hoped it would help this time as well.

I had been playing for almost an hour when Bella called my name. I was by her side in an instant.

"Can I have some water?" She asked softly, as if speaking at a normal volume would be painful.

"I have sprite here for you. It'll be easier on you and help settle your stomach."

"Okay."

Bella sipped the soda slowly and then ate a few of the crackers I handed her.

"Thanks." She said.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"Better. Could I have another blanket? I'm a little cold."

"Of course." I said as I grabbed a blanket off one of the chairs. "Anything else?"

"Would you lay down with me?"

I took my shoes off and, making sure she was under both blankets, I laid down behind her. Bella put her head on my arm and I put my free arm over her to hold her close.

"Would you like to watch a movie?" I asked.

"Okay."

I grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on the television. Flipping to the movie stations, I picked a comedy that would take Bella's mind off everything going on.

I needn't have worried, before the opening lines were even delivered, Bella had fallen back to sleep.

I dared not move during the movie, or for a couple of hours after, for fear of waking Bella when she was finally getting some restful sleep. Her fever had finally broken, her color coming back and her tremors had stopped completely.

"Edward?" Alice called quietly from the entryway some time later.

"Yes Alice?"

"Is she still asleep?"

"Sound asleep. What are you up to?"

"I have a surprise for Bella. I wanted to show you before she woke."

Carefully extracting myself from Bella without waking her, I sat up and moved so that Bella's head rested in my lap while Alice gracefully sat herself on the floor in front of us.

"Bella is really quite the photographer. She captures things that most wouldn't even consider." Alice said as she drew three photo albums out of her bag.

The first album was full of the random photos Esme had taken before we left for the dance. The second album had photos from the dance. I was enamored all over again by Bella's beauty last night.

"What's in the third album?" I asked.

"Bella had a lot of photos on her memory card from before last night, I thought she might like to have them developed and put into an album too."

While Bella slept, we flipped through the albums together. Yet again I was astounded by Bella's photographic eye. She had caught moments in time that spoke so clearly through the photograph of the people in them, much the way that I would catch moments in time through their minds.

"She could be famous one day if she really wanted to be." Alice suggested.

"Somehow, I don't see Bella looking for that kind of recognition."

"No, I don't either."

"What are you two whispering about?" Esme asked as she came in with a small plate of crackers for Bella.

"Alice had Bella's photographs developed." I answered.

"You did?" Bella asked quietly.

I looked down to see she had woken, although it didn't appear she was completely awake yet. Taking her hand in mine, I nodded.

"I thought you might like to see them when you were feeling better." Alice supplied.

"I would, thanks." Bella said and smiled slightly.

"How are you feeling Bella?" Esme asked as she put her hand to Bella's forehead. "I'm glad your fever finally broke. You had us worried there."

"Carlisle thinks it was a reaction to the medication he gave me. It's not his fault though, I've always been pretty horrible with medicine." Bella said, an edge to her voice as if she were trying to stand up for Carlisle.

"No one blames him, Bella, don't fear. It was an unavoidable situation I'm afraid. But, you didn't answer, how are you feeling?" Esme asked.

"I'm feeling better. I'm a little hungry." She answered softly.

"Let's start small and simple and work up from there. How do toast and a banana sound?" Esme asked.

"That's fine, thank you." Bella answered.

"And while Esme makes that, we can start looking through the albums." Alice suggested brightly.

"Don't go too quickly, I want to see too." Esme called from the kitchen.

I opened the album I had been looking at when Bella woke up. It was the album with the photos Esme had taken before we left.

"Did Emmett make a face in every shot?" Alice asked, thoroughly disgusted, but smiling.

"No, not every shot." Bella defended him. "See, in this one he's too busy ogling Rose." She giggled.

Esme came back in then with the toast and the banana, cut up for Bella to pick at.

"I believe he would object to that phrase." Esme laughed.

"Darn right I would. I was admiring the cut of her dress, not ogling her. Ogling is what a teenage human male does." Emmett defended himself as he walked in behind Rosalie.

"Emmett, you may be 93 years old, by you will always be a teenage boy." Alice laughed.

Emmett shrugged and he and Rosalie sat on the floor and other side of Bella on the couch respectively.

"Bella, I hadn't realized how talented you are. These are amazing." Rosalie said as amazed by Bella's talent as the rest of us.

"I didn't take the photos from before the dance, Esme did." Bella said as she blushed.

"These are the dance." Rosalie said as she turned her album around.

The photos I was looking through were random ones that Bella had been taking for some time. She'd caught moments of everyone's life, Rosalie in the garage tinkering with the cars, Emmett watching her, Jasper quietly reading in his study, Alice playing at dress up, Carlisle and Esme just enjoying each other's company. There were many more, but she'd captured everyone in their moments of individual peace. She'd also caught the moments of hilarity; Emmett and Jasper arm wrestling, Alice and I playing chess, the family gathered to watch a movie. There were photos of times we'd thought she'd been asleep, but she'd at some point snuck part way down the stairs and captured us being our natural selves.

She'd also taken photos of nature, of the house, of random objects and yet those objects had become art in her photos. Nothing in them was staged or posed.

"When did you take this one?" Emmett asked pointing to a photo of himself holding Rose as they sat together outside under a tree.

Bella had caught them as they watched a sunset together, completely relaxed as Emmett leaned against a tree and held Rosalie as she leaned back against him. In the photo, they were off to the side at an angle where you could see them watching the sunset and see the sunset for yourself.

"A few weeks ago. I saw you from my window. I even made it outside without tripping for a change and neither of you noticed me. If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought you two had fallen asleep out there." Bella said.

"May I have a copy?" Rose asked.

"I had one blown up and framed." Alice said. "I had a feeling you might like that one, it's one of my favorites. It's up on your bed waiting for you."

"Thanks." Rosalie said.

"Oh, Bella." Esme breathed.

"What is it?" I asked concerned.

"This is beautiful." Esme answered in awe.

She turned the album around to show us a photo of collage of the whole family.

"How did you get the photo to do that?" Emmett asked.

"I didn't. I combined a bunch of my favorite photos of all of you. I must have saved it on the memory card." Bella answered blushing from the praise she'd received.

"It's awesome." Emmett agreed.

"Alice, would you mind having this one blown up and framed as well?" Esme asked. "I want to hang it over the fireplace."

"I'll take care of Monday after school." Alice offered.

"We'll just have to make one minor adjustment." Rosalie spoke up.

"Oh?" Esme asked.

"I don't see Bella in there anywhere." Rose answered.

"Oh! You're right! Bella, why did you leave yourself out?" Esme asked.

"I wanted a collage of my family, honestly, I just didn't think about me being in it." Bella answered.

"Well, you are a part of this family, of _course_ you should be in it, don't worry, I'll take care of it." Alice volunteered cheerfully.

"Alright," Esme said as she started to go back to looking through the album in her hands.

After a short time, the whole family gathered to see the albums. Bella had a constant blush as the family complimented her work. She had been very quiet and timidly accepted their praise.

"_She's embarrassed."_ I heard Jasper muse.

It occurred to me belatedly that Bella didn't receive praise often and wouldn't know how to accept it. I pulled her closer to me and held her tightly for a moment. The shy smile I received told me how grateful Bella was for the support. The yawn she tried to cover told me how exhausted she still was. Carlisle noticed too.

"That's enough for now, I think." He announced. "Bella, if I may?" Carlisle asked her permission as he put his hand to Bella's forehead. "Mmm. The fever has gone down, not as much as I'd like, but your color is coming back. How is your stomach?"

"I'm fine." Bella answered quickly. Too quickly I thought. Carlisle thought so too.

"Really?" Carlisle stated more than asked.

I felt Bella stiffen and then gradually relax. "I am fine, really, just a little queasy now." She said softly.

Carlisle smiled, knowing it was an indication that Bella was finally starting to realize she didn't need to hide her hurts from us.

"We'll stick with foods that are easy on your stomach for a day or so and gradually get you back to a normal diet. Edward, why don't you take her upstairs so she can rest in peace and quiet?"

Bella started to stand up, but suddenly, she listed to the side. Carlisle and I caught her at the same time.

"Bella!" I was anxious now.

"I'm okay, just a little dizzy." She answered as we sat her back down.

"And now?" Carlisle asked.

"I think I just stood up too quickly." Bella suggested.

"You may be right, but I'd rather be safe than sorry." Carlisle answered.

I picked Bella up and slowly, for me anyway, went up the stairs. She was asleep with her head resting on my shoulder before I'd reached the top.

"Edward." Alice called from down the hall. "She'll be fine in her own room and I think she'll appreciate being able to be in her own bed."

I nodded and went to Bella's door. Alice was right behind me pushing it open. Bella stirred slightly as I set her down, but was deeply asleep again before her head hit the pillow.

"You need to go now Edward." Alice said from the doorway.

"I'm fine." I lied smoothly. In truth, I hadn't taken a breath in hours and I'm sure my eyes were as black as pitch.

"You are not fine and I'm not willing to risk her safety over your stubbornness. Jasper, Emmett and I are going to stay in here with her. Rosalie is going with you." She said, the sound of authority ringing in her voice.

Growling low, I grudgingly agreed. I waited for everyone to meet in Bella's room and then, with another glance at Bella's sleeping form started down the stairs. Rosalie was waiting for me out on the front porch.

"The faster we get there, the faster we get back." She offered lightly.

She was right, of course, but I was apprehensive about leaving.

"Edward, they won't let anything happen to her, you know that. I'm just as anxious about leaving as you are, but I trust them. Emmett especially. We both still feel so guilty about…" She trailed off, but her thoughts turned to her memories of the day we'd left Bella alone with Emmett and Rosalie.

"Still?!" I asked incredulously and stopping mid-stride. "Rose, that wasn't your fault, or Emmett's, and no one blames either of you, least of all Bella. _She's_ still blaming herself for that day. Bella is under the absurd notion that she need to worry about our safety instead of her own."

"_Our_ safety!" she scoffed. She started running again.

"I don't think she realizes how…unbreakable we are. Besides, it's just her nature to worry about others before she considers herself." I explained.

"I've noticed. It worries me. This Phil would know that about her, wouldn't he? If he could figure out a way to do so, he'd use that against Bella."

"In a heartbeat, pun intended." I answered grimly. "This is as good of a place as any." I said stopping in a small clearing.

We were far enough away from any trails or possibility of a human happening upon us.

"I'll meet you back here in two hours." Rosalie called as she crossed the clearing and disappeared into the dense trees.

**BPOV**

I was dreaming. I knew I was, but that didn't help the terror flooding through me.

I wanted to run. I tried. I fell. I could hear laughter in the darkness that was surrounding me. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. The laughter came closer, faded away, then returned from behind me, then in front of me again.

Out of the darkness I saw two red glowing points of light. No, not light I realized as they got closer. Red, glowing eyes. My own eyes widened in fear and the laughter came again, reverberating all around me. I couldn't pin point where it was coming from now. It seemed to be everywhere at once.

"Please!" I called out, pleading.

The laughter got louder, closer, bearing down on me. "STOP!" I screamed. It did. Everything stopped. The eyes were gone, the laughter stopped, silent, not even a fading echo. The dark seemed to get even darker then. It was pressing in on me. I'd never done well with small, enclosed spaced, and this was pure claustrophobia. The panic was rising.

"Bella!" I heard someone yell. "Bella?" The voice sounded afraid.

"No." I groaned. That was my mother's voice.

"Bella!" The voice was changing, no longer my mother's voice, the pitch and tone were off now.

The dark receded, ever so slightly.

"Bella!" Alice! That was Alice calling me.

As I recognized Alice's voice, the dark seemed to disappear and my eyes flew open as I sat up quickly.

"Oh thank God." Alice breathed as she pulled me into a tight hug. "Bella, you're shaking."

"You are okay Bella." Jasper said. "It was just a dream." I could feel a dose of calm permeating the room, but it didn't seem to have any effect on me at all. I could have really used some calm.

"Bells?" Emmett asked from somewhere next to me.

Alice pulled back and looked me right in the eyes. "Bella, say something." She commanded. I couldn't think of anything to say. "Jasper?" she asked.

"It's not working."

Finally, I found my voice, though it was barely a whisper. "Turn the lights on. Please." I could hear the pleading in my own voice. "Please." I begged again.

Jasper and Alice exchanged a quick, anxious glance at each other and then turned on every light in the room. Jasper moved to open the blinds as well.

"NO!" I yelled, startling every one. "No." I said again, softly.

"Okay, the blinds stay closed." Emmett said in an appeasing voice.

"Are you okay now?" Alice asked anxiously. She still hadn't released me.

"No."I said quietly. I barely heard myself. I'm sure, given their unique qualities, they had no problem.

"Do you want to tell us about it?"Jasper suggested.

A tremor shook my body as I closed my eyes and saw those red eyes and heard the haunting laughter and felt that darkness that pressed in on me. I opened my eyes quickly. "No." I answered as I shook my head. "Definitely not."

"I think you can let go of her now Alice." Emmett said. I felt him shift closer to me on the side of the bed.

As Alice slowly released my arms, I looked around the room for the first time.

Jasper was standing at the foot of the bed and Alice was kneeling in front of me on the bed. Emmett was to my left, seated right next to me.

"Where's Edward?" I asked.

"He and Rose had to go out for a little while." Jasper answered.

"When did I come up to my room?" I asked a little confused.

Emmett chuckled. "Edward brought you up before he left."

"Will he be gone long?"

"Not too much longer. And we'll stay with you until he's back." Alice promised.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell us about your dream?" Jasper asked. I could feel another wave of calm going through the room. It had no effect on me still.

"Definitely." I answered. I couldn't stop the shudder that went through me as I remembered, again, the eyes, the laughter and the oppressing darkness.

"Jasper, why don't you put on some music," Alice suggested, though she never looked away from me. "Something upbeat."

Jasper started looking through the cds and Alice situated herself more comfortably against the foot board of the bed. I started to get up and every one froze.

"What are you doing?" Alice demanded of me.

"…the bathroom?" I answered. It sounded more like a question.

"Oh." Alice looked away sheepishly. Was that embarrassment coloring her tone?

I was just about to close the door behind me when I felt a hand land on my shoulder. A scream built up in my throat and bubbled past my lips before I could stop it. The hand belonged to Alice, of course.

"Sorry," she said. "I brought you these in case you wanted to take a shower and change your clothes." She handed me a pile of clothes.

I shook my head to clear the paranoia and smiled at her. "Thank you Alice. You always know just what I need." I hadn't even thought of a shower and truly was grateful she'd thought of it for me.

Alice hugged me lightly. "Of course, what are sisters for?" she chirped merrily as she practically danced back to my bed and sat, graceful as a ballerina, back at the end of the bed. She became still as a statue then.

Finally alone, I turned on the water for the shower, had a human moment, brushed my teeth while resolutely refusing to look in the mirror, then I slowly undressed and got under the hot spray of the shower.

I don't know how long I just stood there, letting the hot water unkink my tense muscles before the shock wore off and I fell to pieces. The water mixed with my tears and after a little while, I couldn't tell which was which. I crouched down in the corner and cried as quietly as I was able, though I'm sure, with their hearing, they heard me, even over the water.

I finally got myself under control, but the heat from the water didn't seem to be doing anything to warm me anymore. I finished my shower quickly, turned the water off and wrapped a towel around myself as I stepped out into the bathroom.

With my hair and face washed, I felt a little better. I pulled on the clothes that Alice had brought me, simple jeans and a black turtleneck sweater with thick warm socks. I made the mistake as I was pulling a brush through my hair of looking in the mirror. I paused mid stroke as the lights played tricks with my mind. "Get a grip Bella." I scolded myself under my breath. "You did NOT just see a pair of red eyes staring out at you from the mirror." I smeared condensation across my reflection anyway and quickly turned and opened the door.

Alice, Jasper and Emmett were conversing in that quick murmuring that only their kind could do. I had no hope of trying to catch even a single word. Not that I really wanted to hear what they were saying right now. I cause every one so much worry. They stopped conversing and watched me as I crossed the threshold.

"Better?" Alice asked.

I nodded. I was feeling better after the shower, and the crying jag.

"Good." Emmett said as he came over and placed his arm across my shoulders giving me a brotherly squeeze.

"Edward and Rosalie will be back any moment now." Alice said suddenly.

And, as if hearing Alice's prediction, we heard the front door open and then close. Seconds later Edward was standing in my doorway looking at me as if he hadn't seen me in days. But then his eyes flashed first to Jasper and then to Emmett and then resting on me. His expression changed to horror and then anger.

I took an involuntary step back, Emmett came with me.

"Ed." He hissed.

Edward's eyes flicked to Emmett and then back to Jasper again before resting on me and his features softened immediately.

Slowly, so as not to scare me I guessed, he came to me and drew me into his arms. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you," he said softly in my ear.

"I'm okay now." I whispered back, my voice muffled by his shirt.

"I'm also sorry I frightened you."

"You just looked so…angry."

"Not at you Bella, never with you. I was angry with myself."

"Why?" I asked looking up and into his butterscotch eyes.

"I had felt…apprehensive about leaving you alone. I see now I was right."

I sighed, and turned towards the window.

"Where did every one go?" I asked surprised. I hadn't heard any one leave, they'd even closed the door silently.

"Discreetly giving us some privacy, I believe."

"Oh. And I understand you had to go. Your eyes…"

"I know. That doesn't mean I won't be taking more precautions, I won't be going nearly as far or as long next time."

"It was just a dream Edward, and I'm fine now." I was getting frustrated and stared out the window. "You just do what you need to do. I'm not as…weak as I used to be and I have you and the family to thank for that." I said as I turned to him so he could see the sincerity in my eyes. "Now, didn't someone promise to help me study for finals?" I asked in order to distract him.

And so, we studied for the rest of the day. Edward laughed when I would get particularly frustrated with the math. Emmett was easily impressed with my English Literature knowledge. Alice kept her eyes on my test results. Rosalie had errands to run, Carlisle a shift at the hospital and Esme was off restoring a house two towns away.

Jasper sat nearby reading. More like pretending to read. The pages didn't turn nearly often enough and he kept looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

Finally I'd had enough. "I'm not going to have another melt down, you know." I mumbled.

"Hrmm?" Edward asked innocently. Too innocently.

"Jasper, I'm fine. I'm not going to run screaming from the room or break down in tears. Most of all, I'm not going to talk about that dream." I was almost angry as I figured it out.

"That's not it, well," he amended, "not all of it." Jasper said in his quiet way.

"What is it then," I demanded.

Jasper looked at Edward first, who sighed and nodded.

"What?!" I demanded again.

"What are you feeling right now?" Jasper asked me.

"Annoyed, mostly." I answered truthfully.

"Anything else?" Edward asked.

"Getting frustrated."

"What about now?" Jasper asked. Again.

"Annoyance and frustration." I answered again.

"It's still not working." Jasper grumbled more to himself than to me.

"What isn't working?" I asked confused.

"Bella, Jasper has pretty much saturated this room with tranquility, to the point that you should want very much to sleep right now. You aren't being affected by it at all?" Edward explained.

I thought about what they'd told me for a moment and suddenly, I couldn't keep my eyes open or my head up. I slumped in my chair and felt Edward catch me before I fell out of the chair all together. "Bella!" I heard him shout. And then I felt energized. It was as if I'd just had the best night's sleep of my life. My eyes flew open. "Jasper stop!" Alice commanded as she rushed into the room. "It's working now."

"We can see that Alice." Edward said dryly. "But why now? Why not earlier?" he mused.

"I'm not sure. It was almost as if she'd blocked herself off from me show how. And now, well she's wide open." Jasper thought out loud.

"Bella, how do you feel now?" Alice asked me.

"Confused."

"You're not the only one." Jasper muttered.

"Can we figure this out later? I seem to have a second wind and I can't study through osmosis." I asked.

"Of course." Jasper answered and he left the room shaking his head.

Esme came home not long after that with dinner for me. And then Rosalie, who I hadn't heard come home, and Alice dragged me to the living room to watch a movie after declaring there was such a thing as too much studying.

Edward sat up with me that night. I refused to sleep. The week flew by with the days at school shortened due to finals. It seemed Thursday, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie's graduation day, arrived in the blink of an eye. One moment I was cramming away for my finals, the next Alice and Rosalie had me locked away in Alice's massive bathroom to dress me up. Again.

"There won't be any surprise dances tonight, right?" I only half jokingly qualified.

Both girls laughed their musical laughs. "No Bella. Now, stop squirming so much." Rose scolded me.

"_I'm_ not the one graduating," I declared in a huff, "so why do _I_ have to get all dressed up?"

"We're all getting dressed up for this afternoon." Alice sighed. Besides, _this_ isn't getting dressed up." She indicated my hair and makeup. "We'll all be wearing pants and nice shirts. Most likely jeans for everyone."

After they'd finished my hair and makeup, I was allowed to escape and get dressed on my own.

I made it all the way to the living room before Alice was mussing with my hair again. The family had all gathered there watching T.V. until it was time to leave.

No one was dressed formally for tonight. I was secretly jubilant about this. It meant no surprises would be forth coming.

"Are you all packed dear?" Esme asked me.

I nodded. "Mostly. I'm just going to throw my pajamas in tomorrow morning when I wake up."

"That won't be necessary." Carlisle said. "We'll be leaving later this afternoon. Less traffic."

"Oh. Well, I'll just change into them when we get home. I'll be much more comfortable during the drive that way." I said.

The conspiratorial look Alice and Rose exchanged didn't escape my notice. "Whatever you two are planning, forget it."

"Bella!" Rosalie feigned hurt and innocence, "We would never."

"Actually Bella," Edward said, "you may want to hear them out this time."

I could only glare at Edward as he sided with his sisters.

"Instead of changing into those pajamas, we'll have an outfit waiting for you that I think you'll appreciate more for this trip. Also, it's already packed and in your bag because we'll be leaving straight from the ceremony." Alice informed me.

"Besides, if you have to go out in public at all, it'll be much less embarrassing. For all of us." Rose added.

I gave in gracelessly after that. My pajamas weren't something I would wear out in public. The t-shirt was one of Edward's old ones, and was now beginning to form holes, and I usually only wore a pair of shorts underneath.

When it was time to leave, every one became quite tense. Edward and Carlisle were having some kind of silent exchange and Alice was very still with her eyes closed and Jasper as close as he could get without touching her. It made me very nervous.

"No worries Bella." Jasper declared feeling my nervousness. "We're just a bit concerned with the ceremony being held outside today. Seven vampires and an outdoor ceremony... not an ideal situation for us. Especially if the sun makes a surprise appearance."

We hurried into the cars and Edward drove faster than usual. Everyone did.

"Is everything okay?" I asked timidly.

Edward smiled at me, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Of course." He replied calmly.

"Would you tell me if it wasn't?" I mumbled to myself.

Edward felt the need to answer anyway. "Honestly, no, probably not. Bella, you don't seem to handle stress very well. Besides," he shrugged, "we won't let anything happen to you."

"So there is something going on that would a) cause me stress and b) could be a potential danger. Great. Will you at least inform me when the family is going to be all tense? Having to figure it out on my own just takes too much energy."

Edward chuckled, raised our entwined hand to his lips and kissed the back of my hand. "Silly Bella." He sighed and chuckled again.

I sighed in obvious defeat and stared out the window at the scenery blurring by. "I don't think I'll ever get used to your driving." I said to change the subject.

"If you don't look out the window, you'd never even know." He rebutted smoothly.

"True." I conceded.

"How do you think you did on your finals?"

"I think I did okay, I'm not sure about math though."

"Why do you think you did only okay?"

I grimaced and turned to stare out the window again. There was no way I was going to admit that the dream was still on my mind and had made it difficult, sometimes impossible, to concentrate.

I hadn't told anyone about the dream, and I had no plans to. I just wished that I could figure out how to move it to the back of my mind and forget about it all together.

"Bella?"

"I just couldn't concentrate at times." I half lied.

"Well, you've hardly slept at all this week. It's no wonder."

I shrugged in response. There really wasn't anything to say. I _hadn't _slept since I'd woken from that nightmare and, if I had my way, I wouldn't be going back to sleep again…ever.

"Why is that?"

"Why is what?"

"Bella!" he scolded. "You know exactly what I'm asking. Why are you refusing to sleep again?"

What could I say? I refused to discuss the dream…with anyone. I wasn't about to start now.

"For that matter, once it's dark out, you turn on almost every light in the house now. Why did you start doing that?"

Again, I refused to answer. I continued to stare out the window knowing full well that if I looked at him, Edward would use the influence of his eyes on me and I would be spilling my guts to him in seconds.

"If you don't tell me, I'll just assume the worst." He tried.

"Edward," I sighed, closing my eyes to the nauseating blur of the world passing by the window, "I'm fine. I just don't like the dark, I never have really. I just never said anything before."

"When are you going to tell me the whole truth?" he asked, his voice betraying the frustration he felt.

How easily he saw through me sometimes. "Maybe later." I mumbled.

I jumped as someone knocked on the window.

"Shhhh, Bella. It's just Emmett." Edward said calmly as he hit the button to put the window down.

"Will you two be joining us before or after the ceremony?" Emmett chuckled.

"Ready?" Edward asked as he looked back at me.

My heart slowly went back to its normal rhythm before I asked, "how long have we been here?"

Edward cocked one brow and looked back at me curiously. "You really didn't notice us pull in? Bella, we've been here almost thirty minutes now."

"I…hadn't noticed." I admitted. "You're right, when you don't look, you don't know."

Edward chuckled, moved to open his door and suddenly was opening my door. He held his hand out to me, which I took, grateful for his strength and confidence.

The ceremony was held outside on the football field. Any attempts at formality were sadly lost as the bleachers filled with parents and students alike. The seniors filed in and sat on folding chairs that had been placed on the field near the stage that had been constructed during the week. Edward sat to my left and Alice to my right, with Esme and Carlisle directly behind us. Edward and Alice were both as rigid and still as statues.

"If you stay that still," I whispered to both of them, "people are going to think I'm holding you at gunpoint."

Alice laughed and Edward snuck his arm around me my waist go give a gentle squeeze. "Silly Bella." Edward said.

"You called me that already today." I sighed.

The ceremony progressed with as much pomp and circumstance as could be managed. Alice was confident that we would be safely in the cars before the sun came out, but she kept taking furtive glances around anyway.

I wasn't suspicious until I noticed that even Esme and Carlisle were taking glances around, not up, but around, as if they were looking for something, or someone.

I would occasionally let me gaze wander towards the forest, but my mind played tricks on me and I swore I saw those red eyes staring at me. I'd blink and they'd be gone.

Toward the end of the ceremony, I looked to the forest one last time. I saw the eyes again, but this time when I blinked they were still there.

EPOV

I felt Bella stiffen and then heard her sharp intake of breath.

"Bella, what is it?" I whispered in her ear.

She didn't reply. I saw that she was staring at something in the forest and a low growl emitted from deep within me. Carlisle turned so that he was flanking Bella on her left with Alice right in front of her and Esme directly behind.

With all of the people at the ceremony, I wasn't able to hear which one of them it was, but one of them was definitely watching from the forest.

"It wasn't just a dream, oh God, it was real." Bella murmured as she paled and began to shake.

"Ladies and gentleman, your 2008 graduating class!" The principal announced from the podium on the stage as the audience stood and applauded.

"Let's move." Carlisle instructed.

Esme started forward with Carlisle staying just behind her only to stop when she realized Bella hadn't moved.

"Bella, we have to go. Now." Alice said to her urgently.

Bella sat down instead.

"Edward." Carlisle indicated that I should carry her.

I stepped directly in front of her and purposefully crouched down slowly making her meet my eyes.

"Bella, I promise, we won't let anything happen to you. They won't be following and we'll be able to lose them in the crowd, Alice has already seen it." I said softly as I picked her up.

We made our way to the cars quickly, Jasper, Emmett and Rose had already arrived and were waiting for us.

"What happened?!" Emmett demanded seeing Bella pale and shaking in my arms.

"One of them is here, they were watching from the edge of the forest." Alice explained. "If we leave now, we'll lose whoever it is in the crowd because there are too many people and too many scents for them to sift through."

Alice sat with Bella in the back and Jasper joined me in the front and sent waves of calm at Bella who sent a weak smile back to him.

"Better?" Alice asked.

Bella nodded and then turned her eyes down to her lap and didn't lift them again until we arrived at the house. We surrounded Bella and went inside to join the rest of the family.

"We weren't followed." Alice announced.

"We're leaving immediately. Rose, grab whatever Bella packed and meet us back at the cars. Everyone else…"

"We've got a few minutes," Alice stated, "Bella, come with us." And she grabbed Bella's hand and almost dragged her up the stairs, Rosalie close behind.

While we waited, we finished packing the cars, Esme packed food for Bella so we wouldn't have to stop. By the time we were done, so were Alice and Rosalie. Bella was now dressed comfortably in a pair of soft sweat pants and a comfortable t-shirt.

"Everyone ready?" Carlisle asked. Every one nodded or replied with a yes. "Alice?"

Alice closed her eyes and concentrated. "All clear."

"Then let's get going." Emmett said as he led the way out the door with Jasper. Esme and Carlisle followed them and then Bella and I followed by Rosalie and Alice.

We'd filed out in twos just in case as well as to keep Bella protected.

Alice and Jasper rode with Bella and me in my car while Rosalie and Emmett rode with Carlisle and Esme. Just as we pulled out of the driveway, the sun came out.

"Bella, look. It's a sign of good luck!" Alice chirped trying to ease Bella's discomfort.

Except, Bella didn't answer, her eyes were locked on the trees, and that's when I saw what had caught her notice. Something was reflecting the light from the sun.

"They're going to the house, but they'll find it empty, and they won't be able to track the cars. There's nothing to worry about." Alice said with confidence.

Bella eased slightly but kept her eyes on the passing forest until there was only open space to stare at.

"Edward, why don't you stop for a moment so Bella and Jasper can switch places?" Alice asked a couple of hours later.

Glancing at Bella, I saw the large dark spots under her eyes and the half open lids.

"I'm fine Alice." Bella said and then yawned.

"You're exhausted." Jasper replied. "Pull over Ed."

I did. Quickly, Jasper and Bella switched places. Alice grabbed a pillow that she'd put in the car earlier and put it on her lap and Bella practically fell onto it she was so tired.

"Will you wake me up if I start to dream?" Bella whispered to Alice.

"You'll be fine Bella, promise." Alice whispered back.

Within moments, Bella was asleep.

"I was wondering how much longer she could possibly go without sleep." Jasper sighed.

"She kept murmuring at the ceremony when she spotted whoever that was in the forest. 'It wasn't just a dream, it was real.' Anyone know what that means?" I asked.

"Probably the nightmare she had. The only thing we could see was the eyes, they were bright red. I'm willing to bet that's what her dream was about, red eyes and who knows what else." Alice supplied as she gently ran her fingers through Bella's hair.

Bella slept for the rest of the car ride. When we reached the harbor just off the coast of southern California, she barely stirred even as we pulled her out of the car and we boarded the yacht.

We were an hour out to sea when Bella finally woke. Quickly realizing she had no idea where she was, she sat up quickly and nearly fell off the bed as the yacht hit a wave.

I caught her before she completely fell off the bed, chuckling. "Good evening. How was your…nap?" I asked.

"Where are we?"

"On the yacht. We should be there in a few hours. The stars aren't out yet, but would you like to come up on deck anyway?"

"Um, sure."

I held her as Bella made her way, unsteadily, up the stairs to the deck of the yacht. Easing to one of the cushioned seats, we sat and watched as we sped over the water. Soon, Alice and Jasper and Rosalie and Emmett joined us and not long after, the stars started to twinkle in the night sky.

"We'll be there soon." I heard Carlisle call, though I'm sure Bella wasn't able to hear and repeated the message for her.

"Oh you'll love it Bella!" Alice exclaimed. "There's so much to do and we won't have to worry about running into anyone while we're there so we can all have fun together!"

"And we'll finally get to teach you how to swim." Emmett added. "Who knows? We may even get you to play a few sports."

"That wouldn't be wise. With all of the injuries Bella has finally recovered from, sports, especially _your_ brand Emmett, aren't in her best interest." Alice said.

"What's that supposed to mean, "your brand"? It's not like I cheat like you and Ed." Emmett argued.

Bella chuckled, which had been Emmett's entire motivation. "Oh, so you take her side, do you?" He grumbled at her.

"Most definitely. I've seen your idea of sports. I want no part of that." Bella declared.

"Whimp." He chided.

"Human." She corrected.

"Oh, pull the human card, nice." He lost him composure and started laughing, which, of course, got the rest of us going.

We docked shortly after that and I took Bella straight to the cabin.

"You need more sleep." I insisted.

"I just slept for almost 7 hours. How could I possibly need more sleep?" she argued.

"Because tomorrow will be a long day. Alice plans to have you up early for your first lesson."

"And I'm here to make sure you get a good night's sleep." Jasper said as he came in carrying luggage.

Almost immediately, Bella's eyes began to close, though she tried to fight it. "Cheater." She murmured before she lost the fight and fell asleep.

Summer started with swimming lessons for Bella and before long she was able to swim on her own. Alice and Emmett were excellent teachers. As Bella's confidence in the water grew, so did the amount of time she spent in it. Normally, Emmett and Jasper would be trying to dunk and "drown" each other, but ever conscious of Bella's past and current fears, they avoided those kinds of games around her, much to Bella's relief.

Bella was constantly with her camera and had many great photos to show for it. We spent our time taking walks and exploring the island, swimming together, and just being together. After the first week, Bella's coloring improved greatly by the end of the second week, her appetite and returned to normal and by the end of the fourth week, Bella was able to not only walk without any sign of a limp, but at times would run and was able to play some physical games with us as long as we took care to only go as fast as a human and use only the strength of a normal human, still stronger and faster than Bella, but we were able to include her, which was the point.

At the end of our vacation, Bella sighed as we sat together and watched the sunset on our final night on the island.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's nothing really, but did you know this is the longest I've felt happy and safe for any given period of time? I haven't even had any bad dreams while we've been here." She explained. "I just don't want this to end."

"We'll come back next summer then." I promised.

Bella gasped, "Look!" she pointed at the sky. "A shooting star and the stars aren't even out yet." And then she closed her eyes and her lips started to move, though she didn't speak.

"What are you doing?" I asked confused.

"Making a wish."

"And what are you wishing for?"

"I can't tell you. I won't come true."

When she opened her eyes, she continued to stare at the sky, and then she lowered her head and stared out over the waves as they crashed on the beach. "Do we really have to go back?" She sighed, almost sadly.

"I'm sorry. It must be so difficult for you, the way time moves."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"For me, time moves so quickly, an hour seems to only be a few minutes and so on, but for you, an hour can seem like eternity."

"Sometimes. Other times, like this summer, it feels like time has just flown by. I know it's been two months, but it feels like it's only been two weeks, especially with Alice trying to cram so many things into a single day. How does someone so small have so much energy?" she asked chuckling.

"When I figure the answer to that question out, I'll let you know." I laughed.

"It's so…peaceful here at night." Bella sighed as she turned back to watching the waves.

"Yes, it is." I agreed.

A few minutes later Bella rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes as she listened to the sound of the waves coming in, hitting the shore, and washing back out again.

"Bella!" Alice called from the bon fire the family had going on the beach closer to the cabin. "Come on!"

"But I'm comfortable here Alice." Bella barely raised her voice.

"Oh come on!" Alice said as she grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her up. "You said you'd never done this before, and here's your chance! Besides, Emmett lost the bet, and now he has to eat one of those things. I can't wait"

"Actually Bella, I've been waiting to see this for a while now too, let's go." I chuckled remembering the terms of the bet Emmett had lost.

If he couldn't go an entire day without making a joke, he had to eat a S'mor. He'd lost…in under two hours. Bella had tricked him into it with help from Alice, but he'd still lost. Bella had never had a S'mor before, hadn't even roasted a marshmallow, and we had every intention of correcting that for her.

"I'd forgotten about that, let's go." Bella agreed as we went to our seats by the fire.

"Ready Em?" Jasper teased him.

"Bring it on." Emmett boasted.

Alice showed Bella how to roast the marshmallow without letting it catch fire or burn it, and then how to put together a S'mor. Emmett made his too and then on the count of three, they both bit into them.

"Well?" Rose asked Bella as we watched her chew and swallow.

"This is really good." Bella said taking a second bite. "How is yours Emmett?"

"Let's just say I won't be making a habit of eating these things." He replied glowering at her while we all laughed. "You do know I will be getting you back for this, don't you?"

"Me? What did I do?" Bella asked faking innocence so badly we were all roaring with laughter, even Emmett.

"We're going to bid you kids good night now." Esme said standing up with Carlisle.

"We plan to head out by lunch, so Bella, get a good night's sleep, Emmett, no getting back at her until after we're home, and the rest of you be quiet as you pack everything up so you don't wake her." Carlisle instructed.

"Yes dad." We chorused. We all broke down in laughter again as our parents walked to the cabin shaking their heads and laughing right along with us.

"How come they always go in so early?" Bella asked.

"They aren't that much older than we are Bella, remember?" Emmett teased.

Bella must have understood exactly what he was saying because she turned a deep shade of crimson and looked away.

"Emmett!" Alice admonished. "Carlisle said you had to wait until we got home to get her back! If you don't stop now, I'm going to make sure that retaliation is on-going for over a month. You'd help me, right Rose?"

"Probably. Oh don't look at me like that Emmett, you'd deserve it and you know it." Rose answered.

"Fine, Bella, you win, even I know I'm no match for Alice." Emmett sulked.

We sat around the fire for a few hours talking and joking. Eventually, Bella put her head down on my lap and began to drift in and out of sleep.

"Bed time for the human." I whispered to her as I shifted to pick her up and carried her inside.

Bella changed and had her human moment and I pulled the covers back for her and made myself comfortable so I could hold her while she slept.

She dreamt that night, saying my name three times. If my heart still beat, it would have been soaring, as it was, I was unable to stop myself from smiling like an idiot.

When dawn arrived, Bella woke as the sun shone through the window and onto her face. She tried to pull the covers up and over her head, but I was having none of that.

"Come on Bella, don't you want to go swimming one more time before we have to leave?" I asked.

"I don't want to leave." Bella answered.

"I know, but we have to get back to the real world. Come on. I can smell breakfast being made for you, and Alice has your bathing suit ready for you."

Giving in, Bella got up, had her human moment, and we went to the kitchen where Esme had breakfast waiting for Bella.

Afterward, Alice dragged Bella to the water, where Rose, Emmett and Jasper were already waiting and I joined them as well. I could hear the clicking of a camera and saw Esme taking pictures from the shore with Bella's camera. I was glad that we could get some photos of Bella happy and carefree for a change.

Finally the time came to leave and we packed the rest of our things and closed up the cabin for the summer, then headed out to the yacht and the long trip home. A new school year would be starting in a week, and Alice's prediction was still hanging over us all. I could only hope that it wasn't set in stone.


	27. Chapter 24

**Usual disclaimer, I don't own any of it…except the stuff that is mine.**

**BPOV**

The school year started just like any other, except, for the first time ever, I was bruise free and able to walk into my classrooms without the usual fear of someone discovering my secret.

Edward and Alice were in just about every one of my classes with the exception of gym where I went to study hall instead. Carlisle had written the school stating that phys ed. wasn't an option for me because of all of the injuries I'd sustained and my bones wouldn't be able to take the rigorous daily activity. The school accepted it easily enough and adjusted my schedule accordingly.

I hadn't had any bad dreams since before summer vacation, and I wasn't the only one who was grateful for that. Edward kept a nightly vigil by my side while I slept and would wake me if I seemed to be in distress in my sleep. I think he woke me sometimes just to hear my reactions though, knowing I wasn't fully awake. Apparently, I say some amusing things when I'm not all the way awake, at least that's what Emmett had told me one morning as I was eating breakfast.

Our daily routine had been pretty simple, with Rose, Emmett and Jasper all out of high school, the story was that they were taking a year off to explore their possibilities before picking a college. Conveniently enough, we'd all be freshman in college at the same time this way.

Edward was determined that I have every possible human experience he could think of, and some he couldn't. He and Emmett would conspire to come up with ideas and then consult with Alice to see if it would go over. Most of them she vetoed, and I thanked her heartily every time. Somehow, I just couldn't picture myself sky diving, though Emmett was positive I would love it.

With study hall, I was able to maintain my A average, which Esme was particularly proud of. Soon enough, November came and with it the chill that only a fall in Forks could produce.

As I walked out to the car one morning, I found myself staring at the grey sky when a chill that had absolutely nothing to do with the wind ran down my spine. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but for some reason, the dark grey of the sky felt ominous to me. Nothing had happened since the graduation ceremony; we hadn't even heard of signs that _they_ – I couldn't bring myself to think their names – were still in the area, so I'd allowed myself to stop thinking about them and just concentrate on living my life. That morning, however, I felt like the days of me just living my life were quickly coming to a close.

"Bella, are you coming?" Alice called from the car.

"Yep!" I replied, shaking off the feeling as an overactive imagination and jogged the rest of the way to the car.

By the time we pulled into the parking lot, I'd almost completely put my earlier feeling to the back of my mind, until I saw a group of students standing around one of the picnic tables staring at Edward's Volvo as he parked.

"Bella, whatever she says, ignore her." Edward almost hissed.

"I knew it was too good to last." I mumbled. "What does she want?"

"To get some kind of reaction out of you, as usual. I'm just not sure what prompted her to do it this time around." He answered.

I heard Alice gasp in the back seat and Edward and I both turned to stare at her as a look of horror crossed over her face.

"Alice?" I asked softly. "What do you see?"

"A group of students, they have Bella surrounded, Charlie's been here, and he's been spreading a rumor about Bella." Alice answered in monotone as her eyes cleared up and she stared right at me now. "Oh Bella, I'm so sorry. It wouldn't have taken much to get Lauren to go back her old ways. I'm going to get Jasper here so he can help diffuse the situation."

I barely registered that Alice was still talking. "Charlie has been here." I repeated and found it hard to breathe.

"Bella, calm down." Edward commanded me. "He isn't here anymore, he's left, and I'd know if he was still here. We won't let him get to you. We'll have Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper come and keep an eye on things. Alice is already calling them."

Only, that didn't calm me down, in fact, it made everything worse.

"Bella!" Edward said, exasperated. "Look at me."

I did, and he was right in front of me, breathing on me, staring into my eyes, using everything he knew about my reactions to him to calm me down.

"Better?" he asked. He'd done such a good job, I could only nod.

"I think you may have done too good of a job, Edward. Look at her eyes. It's almost as if she's drunk." Alice chuckled.

"Any chance if we sit here long enough, they'll just go away?" I asked as my brain started to kick back into gear and I thought about the problem waiting outside the car.

"Only if a teacher comes by to see why such a large group of students is standing around." Alice said. "Charlie was asking questions about your whereabouts mostly, and he "accidentally" let it slip that the Phoenix police were looking for you to ask you more questions about…"

"About my mother's death." I finished for her when Alice would have let the sentence hang. Immediately, my mood turned from frightened to angry.

I got out of the car and headed straight for Lauren and her group, my anger blinding me to the obvious reasons why that was a bad idea.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to be brave and come to school today." Lauren sneered. "I thought for sure you'd be halfway across the country by now, since you seem to be on the run from the law and everything. Maybe I should call Chief Swan and let him know I've found the fugitive."

The group around her laughed at her joke.

"Bella, wait." Alice said as she put her hand on my shoulder and pulled me to a stop. "If you say what you are thinking about saying, you will force Edward and me to expose ourselves. Think. I know you're upset, but think this through before you do something you'll regret."

That took the wind out of my sails pretty quickly. Lauren had turned around to her group and wasn't paying any attention to me anymore, so I started to walk with Alice back toward the school. We'd gone just a couple of steps when Lauren turned around. "Oh, don't go too far Bella. I'd just _love_ to know what the Chief wants to speak to you about."

I stopped mid-stride, ready to turn around, but Edward was there on my other side forcefully stopping me from turning. "Just keep walking Bella. She's just trying to get you to respond, it's what makes it fun for her."

Tears were in my eyes, ready to overflow, but I resolutely held them back until I was far enough away from Lauren to see me cry.

"Jasper will be here soon with Emmett and Rosalie. He'll hang out near the forest so no one notices him, but then they'll come to the picnic tables on the pretense of joining us for lunch." Alice said quietly as we made our way to our first class.

"I just need a minute." I said as we started past the restroom. I needed to splash water on my face and get myself under control.

"I'll go with you." Alice said, not releasing her grip on my shoulder.

"I'll be right here." Edward said softly as he stared into my eyes and made a show of standing guard just outside the door with his arms crossed over his chest and leg bent with his foot on the wall behind him.

Sighing I pushed the door open and went inside followed closely by Alice who checked each of the stalls before turning around and giving me a thumbs up to signal that we were alone.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

"I will be. I just need a minute." I answered without looking at her.

I stood in front of the mirror with the water running just staring at myself. I couldn't believe the kind of danger I had almost put everyone in. I'd almost forced Alice and Edward to expose themselves, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were coming to keep a look out, and if _they_ came, everyone I loved could get hurt, not to mention all of the students here who had no concept of the kind of danger they could be in.

I splashed cold water on my face as those thoughts whirled around inside my head.

"Don't even think about it Bella." Alice said with a hint of menace in her voice.

I raised my head to look at her via the reflection in the mirror. "It would make things that much simpler for everyone."

"No, it would only make things worse, because then we'd have to be looking for you while trying to protect you. And you know Edward is right outside and can hear everything we're saying and what I'm thinking. Just don't worry. Okay? You don't seem to understand that the only person you need to worry about is you. We aren't that easy to hurt, and near impossible to kill. There are seven of us and only four of them. Trust me, you'd make the situation worse by trying to run off on your own. Now come on," she said handing me a towel to dry my face and hands with, "or we'll be late for class."

When we left the restroom, Edward was still as a statue, but his eyes were furious. Before I could move to walk past him, he snaked his hand out, grabbed my arm and pinned me to his chest.

"Don't, for even a moment, think about taking yourself away from me." He whispered harshly in my ear.

I could only nod my head to tell him that I wouldn't do it. He held me for a moment longer and then we walked to class together, Edward holding my hand tightly the entire way.

I tried all morning to make myself believe what Alice had said was true, that they were almost impossible to kill, but I'd seen the leader, he was very capable of killing, maybe even his own kind. And I knew, somehow I knew, given the chance and the opportunity, he'd happily kill any one of the Cullens if they stood in his way.

At lunch, every one kept me distracted enough to be able to put the whole incident that morning to the back of my mind, and I was able to keep it there for the rest of the day, even when I was alone in study hall.

On the drive home, Alice and Edward had relaxed seeing my mood improved and my mind off of leaving. We watched a movie and then Esme made me dinner, then Edward helped me with my homework. When it was time for bed, as he lay on top of the covers and I lay under them, Edward started humming.

"Is that a new one?" I asked as I started to yawn.

"Mmhmmm. It's been coming to me for a few days now." He answered softly.

"It's beautiful." I said as I drifted off to sleep.

"So are you." I heard him whisper before I was fully asleep.

The next morning I was apprehensive about school until Jasper called to let Edward know that he was already there and making sure Lauren didn't have any ideas about starting something again.

That continued as November progressed and Thanksgiving approached.

All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. When we walked out of class to go to lunch the day before Thanksgiving, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks and my nose.

"Wow," Alice chirped, "it's snowing."

I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face.

"Ew." Snow. There went my good day.

Alice looked surprised. "Don't you like snow?"

"No, that means it's too cold for rain." Obviously. "Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes – you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips."

"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?" Edward asked.

"Sure I have." I paused. "On TV."

Alice and Edward laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow zoomed by our heads. We all turned to see where it had come from. I had my suspicions about Emmett who was walking the wrong way to the cafeteria, Edward apparently had the same notion and he bent over and began scraping together a pile of white mush.

"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" I kept walking as I spoke. "Once people start throwing wet stuff, I go inside."

Edward just nodded, his eyes on Emmett's retreating figure.

Jasper and Rosalie escorted Alice and I inside to find our seats. Edward and Emmett joined us a few minutes later, both laughing and shaking dripping snow from their hair.

"Emmett Cullen, don't you dare drip any of that on me!" Rosalie scolded him.

"Don't even think about it Edward," I said as he started eyeing my dry clothes and hair.

"No fun." I heard Emmett mumble as he sat down.

"Dry and warm and planning to stay that way." I corrected.

"So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Jasper asked.

"Good question, Bella, what do you want to do for Thanksgiving?" Emmett asked.

"I've never really had one, so I'm not sure?" I said.

"Well, Esme already has the turkey, and it's huge. Of course, her excuse was that she had to keep up appearances while purchasing it, but I think, secretly, she wants to have a traditional Thanksgiving with all the fixings for you Bella." Rosalie said.

I blushed. "That would be nice. And maybe we could all dress nicely for dinner too? Er…well, for while I eat dinner and you all converse." I chuckled.

Everyone laughed as I struggled to correct myself, and the humor caught me as well.

"I think it's a great idea!" Alice said. "And we can watch movies and the parade too."

The rest of lunch was spent discussing Thanksgiving traditions and Rosalie decided she was going to look them up when she got home after the school day was finished.

In observance of the holiday, we were let out early. Emmett and Edward had declared they were going to finish their snow mush fight and I decided I'd stay inside where it was warm and dry and devoid of any wet mushy things that could be thrown around. Fortunately, by the time school let out, the snow was gone and had been replaced with a light mist.

"Sorry guys." I tried to sound sad for them as Emmett and Jasper met up with us.

"You don't act well Bella; I think that avenue is out as a future career choice for you." Edward chuckled.

When we arrived at the house, I went straight to my room to drop my book bag off and change my clothes. I went to my closet to grab my favorite soft sweat shirt, but I couldn't find it there.

"Esme, did you grab my sweatshirt to wash it?" I called.

"No dear. I did all of the laundry yesterday." She called back.

I decided on a different sweatshirt and went to grab a book from my desk that I'd been reading, but it wasn't where I'd left it either. I checked the bookshelves to see if maybe I'd put it back without thinking about it, but it wasn't there either. I pulled down a different book and then crossed to the CD player to turn on my favorite CD, the one Edward had made for me, but it wasn't in the CD player, or in its case.

"Alice, have you been in my room lately?" I called down the hall.

"Nope, not recently, why?" She answered as she came up the stairs.

"No reason." I mumbled as I went back in and started looking under my bed and behind my desk.

"What are you doing?" Emmett asked.

"Looking for some things." I answered.

"You don't lose things, what are you looking for?" He asked.

As I was poking around by the window seat, I noticed a footprint on one of the cushions; it was slight, like a female's foot, and bare.

I started backing up in horror as I stared at the spot where someone had come in through my window, and, presumably, had taken my shirt, my book and my CD.

"Bella?" Emmett asked as I backed into him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Emmett…Bella, what is it?!" Edward demanded as he came in looking for Emmett and reading his mind knew something was wrong.

"Someone has been in here. They've taken things." I whispered, afraid my voice would crack.

"How do you know?" Emmett asked smoothly, trying not to agitate me I would guess.

"There's a footprint on the cushion under the window, and my sweatshirt, a book and a CD are missing." I answered.

"You don't lose things." Emmett whispered again, replaying the scene from moments earlier in his mind. "Ed, take her downstairs, stay with her. Jasper and I will check it out. I can scent them now, it's faint, so it's been a while since they were here, but we'll try to track them."

"Her." I said without really thinking.

"What?" Edward asked.

"The footprint…it's a bare foot and it's small, like a woman's foot." I explained.

"The female." Emmett growled most likely thinking back to last spring when they'd attacked and she'd gone straight for Rosalie.

EPOV

"She's been here, gone through my things…" Bella breathed.

"Bella, it's okay, she's not here anymore, and from the faint scent it's been a little while since she was here." I assured her. "Come on. Let's go down stairs and watch that movie."

We ushered Bella down to the living room quickly and Emmett and Jasper left almost immediately. They were back before the movie was half through, having lost the scent once they reached the river. The female had used it to mask her scent and they couldn't pick it up again.

"_Sorry Ed. We can't tell if she went up or down stream, and we didn't want to go too far in either direction, just in case."_ Emmett let me know when they got back.

Having Emmett and Jasper back seemed to help Bella relax even further, though none of us were able to ease our tension. Rosalie had phoned Carlisle at the hospital to let him know what was going on. Alice had phoned Esme to inform her as well as she was restoring a house not too far away.

By dinner, everyone was home and gathered in the living room, both to comfort Bella and each other.

"Well," Esme started, "we know it's been at least a week since the female was here, so let's just not worry about it now. Tomorrow is Bella's first Thanksgiving with this family and we're going to do it right."

"I checked, the parade starts at 9:00am, so you'll have to be up in time for that, Bella. Are we all going to watch together?" Alice asked.

"I'll be starting the turkey, but I'll be in and out. Carlisle?" Esme answered.

"I'll be here, they've given me the day off at the hospital. Emmett, Rosalie?"

"We'll be here." Emmett answered for them.

"I'll be here too." Jasper stated as he and Alice exchanged a conspiratorial look.

"What are you two up to?" Bella asked before I could.

"Nothing." Alice answered rather quickly.

"Uh huh." Bella said.

"You might as well tell her." I chuckled.

"Tell me what?" Bella asked.

"Party pooper. Fine. Jasper and I were going to make tomorrow a themed Thanksgiving." Alice said.

"What kind of themed Thanksgiving Alice?" I asked.

"Do I really want to know the answer to this?" Bella asked.

"Yes, you do." I answered her.

"Well, we were going to have every one dress up in a period costume and…"

"No." Rosalie, Emmett, Bella and I all said at the same time.

Jasper started laughing. "I told you so. It's not often I get to tell you that."

Alice huffed and made a show of going back to watching the movie and ignoring us as we continued to laugh.

The movie finished shortly thereafter and Esme announced dinner for Bella. After dinner Bella got changed for bed and just as she was about to climb beneath the covers, she looked at the window and stopped.

"Bella?" I asked holding my arms out to her.

"I can't." She said in a hushed tone and shaking her head. "I can't sleep in here knowing that she's been in here Edward."

"Then we'll go to my room, come on." I got up and took her hand and grabbed her pillows.

"Are you sure?" She asked me.

"Of course, Bella, if you aren't comfortable here, I'll take you wherever you _are_ comfortable."

We passed Emmett in the hallway and as he was about to crack a joke, I shook my head at him to indicate that it would not go over well.

"Good night Bella. Sleep well." He said instead.

"_She okay?" _he thought.

"Go ahead Bella, I just want to talk to Emmett for a minute." I told her as she went into my room.

"Okay." She said, looking between the two of us as she stepped over the threshold.

"She'll be okay once this is over. She just doesn't feel comfortable sleeping in there until then. I want this finished, quickly." I growled.

"I know Ed. We're doing all we can right now."

"We're missing something. We've been on the defensive this whole time. I'd like this better if we were on the offensive. I don't like being steps behind. I don't like that Bella is the one discovering what we've missed."

"I don't want any of you thinking that way." Carlisle scolded us as he came up the stairs and closed my door so Bella wouldn't hear. "The second we go on the offensive, we become no better than they are."

"Carlisle, we know the only way this can end, staying on the defensive just keeps putting Bella in more and more danger." Emmett said lowly.

"It doesn't matter. We will _NOT_ go to their level." He slashed his hand through the air.

"No, you won't." Bella said from my doorway. "Any of you." She sounded angry.

"Bella…" Emmett started.

"No!" She yelled. "I don't want you going after them, any of you. This is my fault, all of it, and I won't have you putting yourselves in more danger than you already are…not for me." Bella slammed the door shut and we heard her slide herself down to sit on the floor. She was crying.

"What happened?" Rosalie asked as she came up the stairs too.

"We've upset Bella, I think." Carlisle answered a little bewildered.

"Well, go make it right!" Alice commanded behind Rosalie.

"I'm not even sure what we did." Emmett said.

"You know how she is…if you even think about doing something dangerous in her name, she takes offence to it." Rosalie told him. "Now, go and promise you won't do anything of the sort and apologize for making her upset."

I knocked gently on the door but didn't receive a response. "Bella." I called. She still didn't answer. "Bella, may I please come in?" Still no answer.

"Bella, if you don't open this door, we are going to assume you've hurt yourself and break it down." Emmett called.

There was a moment of silence and then a click as Bella unlocked the door and we could hear her move away and further into the room.

Carlisle opened the door slowly to reveal Bella sitting on the floor by the window staring out to the forest. "Bella, Edward and Emmett have something they'd like to tell you."

"Bella," Emmett started only to stop as Bella turned back towards us and her eyes were red from crying. When Emmett didn't continue, she went back to staring out the window.

"No one else will get hurt because of me." She whispered to her reflection.

Carlisle approached her slowly and sat beside her pulling her to his side in a very fatherly gesture.

"Bella, even if we were to fight them, we wouldn't get hurt, we don't feel pain the way that you do. I promise. Besides, no one is going to go after them, not unless they force us to." He said as she put her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, that's what we were coming in here to tell you." Emmett said softly as he crouched down on her other side and put his hand on her shoulder.

Bella sniffled quietly but didn't move or speak for a few moments.

"My mother went to confront Phil the night she died." Bella whispered. "She was going to tell him to leave, she was trying to protect me."

"I know Bella, I know. Your mother was very brave." Carlisle said as he gave her shoulders a squeeze.

"But not strong." Bella whispered again.

"That's where you're wrong Bella. Your mother was very strong. She'd have to have been to protect you for all those years the way she did, and to stand up to Phil when she could have easily just let him do whatever he wanted to you. She may not have been strong like we are, but she was very strong in her heart, where it mattered the most." Carlisle explained. He then kissed her on the crown of her head and held her while she cried.

After a short while, Bella's breathing returned to normal, and then deepened and we knew she'd managed to nod off.

Carlisle gently picked her up and carried her to the couch and laid her down, then covered her with a blanket.

"Try not to wake her." He instructed as he left.

"We're going to make this right for her, somehow, we are." Emmett declared as he left with his wife.

"She managed to block me again somehow." Jasper sighed shaking his head. "I would have helped her if I could have."

"You did Jasper, by letting her know you care, that we all care and that we're here for her." Alice told him softly. And then they too left to their room leaving me alone with my Bella.

Bella slept fitfully and only for a few hours. At a little after 2am, Bella woke with wide, frightened eyes. I held her as I waited for recognition to come into her eyes and she relaxed against me.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly.

Bella nodded her head.

"It is still very early, you should try to get more sleep."

"I'm wide awake now, I might as well get up."

"Bella, sleep, you need it. I'll even hum to you." I smiled in the dark.

"I'll try." She whispered, already almost back to sleep.

I hummed to her for the rest of the morning, her sleep was light and probably dreamless and she awoke when the sun came in through the back wall.

"Good morning." I smiled down to her.

"Good morning." She replied. "I can't believe I broke down like that last night, I'm so sorry."

"You were upset, you have nothing to apologize for."

"Still, it was silly." She said as she sat up. "Be right back, human moment."

She grabbed her toiletry bag and her clothes that Alice had brought in during the night and headed for the bathroom. A moment later, the water was on and I knew I had a moment to check on Alice and see if she was going to continue her plan for her theme.

By the time I got back to my room, the shower was off and Bella was just coming out of the bathroom.

"Ready for breakfast?" I ask.

"I am kind of hungry." She smiled.

"Good, Esme got an early start." I chuckled.

"How early?" She asked.

"Let's just say you won't be going hungry today." I chuckled as we headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"No, I certainly won't go hungry." Bella laughed as she looked at the breakfast Esme had put out for her. "I won't be able to finish it all."

Bella started with the eggs and a couple of pancakes with a glass of orange juice. As Esme was about to bring her more, Bella put a hand on her stomach and said, "Honestly, I can't eat another bite. That was delicious though!"

"Bella!" Alice called from the living room. "The parade is about to start, come on."

"Coming." She answered. "Will you join us Esme?"

"I'll be in and out. I need to keep an eye on the turkey and I've got a few surprises for you that I'm working on."

"Come on Bella." I said taking her hand as she was about to protest. We already knew Bella hated being made a fuss over, but this was her first holiday with us and Esme wanted it to be perfect. "Alice is waiting."

For the rest of the morning, we watched the parade while Esme wandered in and out with samples for Bella to try and the rest of the family watched for Bella's reactions. Except, there was only awe and enjoyment. Emmett had been hoping that an ingredient would have been left out.

Bella had been putting on a good show of not worrying about last night until a news cast about some missing people a few towns away.

"_All the signs are there."_ Carlisle thought to himself.

I hadn't caught the whole report and Carlisle was thinking in incomplete sentences. I cast him a questioning look.

"_We'll discuss it later. We all will…when Bella isn't around."_ He answered.

"Lunch!" Esme called from the kitchen.

"Go ahead Bella." I said. "I'll just be a moment." Bella left for the kitchen.

"Attacks?" Jasper asked the moment Bella was out of hearing range.

"Most likely. We know they are in the area still." Carlisle answered, a frown marring his features. "We'll have to keep an even closer eye on Bella until these attacks stop or until we're confronted."

"Carlisle, they are toying with us. What more do you need before we stop letting them bait us and we take care of them. We don't need this spreading to Italy. You know what they would do to Bella, to us, when they find out. They will come here." Emmett growled low.

"We're going to keep an eye on things, see what they do next. If they start moving closer to home, we'll go on the offensive, but I don't want to take a chance with Bella. They aren't toying with us though, they just no longer care about keeping where their secret." Carlisle answered.

"How long do we wait?" Jasper asked.

"We wait until they are just outside of the town limits. Right now, it's far enough away that it would be foolish to go to them, we'd be traveling too far away and if they somehow made it around us, they'd have too large of an opportunity to get to Bella. I'm not taking that chance." Carlisle said.

"Bella is our main priority, but we also have to keep an eye on this. If they get too sloppy, you know that it'll make it to Italy." Jasper said.

"I know. For now, just monitor this. So far, it's just missing hikers, when …" Carlisle stopped short as Bella came back.

"How was lunch?" I asked.

"It was good, as always." She answered as she leaned back on the couch. "What's next on your agenda, Alice?"

Alice pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket, "Um…a manicure and pedicure!"

Bella groaned quietly beside me.

"Oh come on you big baby." Alice teased as she pulled Bella off the couch and up the stairs. "You and Edward will be attached at the hip again soon enough."

Alice kept Bella occupied for the rest of the afternoon until Esme called everyone to dinner.

We all sat at the dining room table, though Bella was the only one eating.

"Everything looks delicious." Bella complimented. "And everyone looks beautiful."

We'd all dressed semi-formally for Bella's first Thanksgiving with us.

"You look stunning." I whispered in Bella's ear as I slid her chair under her.

"Bella, you're blushing." Emmett teased her.

Bella ate as we conversed on light topics and generally had a nice time together. After dinner, Rosalie and Alice slipped outside to pull the cars around without Bella noticing.

"Now what?" Bella asked as I grabbed her coat.

"A surprise. Don't be difficult, they've been planning this for days and Rosalie has been working on it most of the day." I answered.

We drove out of Forks and to one of our more out of the way hunting grounds. Bella couldn't see in the dark, but the lack of light did not hinder the rest of us at all.

"Ready?" I asked as we all parked along the tree line.

"For what, exactly?" She asked.

"To dance." I answered with a smile.

"Dance where? Edward, we're in the middle of nowhere." She said.

"You'll see." I got out of the car and went around to her side opening her door. "Climb on." I told her, turning around with my back to her.

Wrapping her arms tightly around my neck and her legs around my waist, Bella was ready to go.

"Just don't hit any trees." She joked.

A bark of laughter escaped me before I could choke it back. "Hang on, little coward."

Within moments, I made my way to a clearing that Rosalie and Alice had set up. A small generator supplied power to twinkle lights strung in the trees surround the clearing and a portable cd player.

"You can open your eyes now." I chuckled.

"Oh wow." She breathed.

"Do you like it?" Alice asked.

Climbing down and taking everything in, Bella only nodded her head.

"I think she's speechless." Emmett laughed.

"This is…wow." Bella said again.

"May I have the pleasure of this dance?" Carlisle asked holding his hand out to Bella.

"Of course." She giggled as Carlisle led her to the center of the clearing.

"Alice?" I asked.

She took my hand and we made our way.

Emmett and Rosalie followed as did Esme and Jasper.

We danced for hours, everyone taking turns with Bella. All the while, we were on alert for anything that might go wrong, any movement or sound out of place, anything that didn't belong.

Well into the night, Bella asked for a break and sat down on the log of a tree that had fallen, making a perfect natural bench.

"Are you having fun?" I asked sitting beside her.

"I always have fun when everyone is doing something together." She answered.

"True." I replied, pulling her to my side.

Bella tried to stifle a large yawn, but failed miserably.

"Sorry," she said, "it's been a long day. Alice is relentless with that list of hers."

Chuckling, I nodded. "She can be when she has it in her head to do something a certain way." I said.

Bella let her head rest on my shoulder while I ran my hand down her arm and up again and through her hair. Another yawn slipped out.

"Perhaps it is time to call it a night?" I asked.

"Let them have their fun." She sighed.

"Sometimes we forget to pay attention to the passing of time. It happens when you lose the ability to sleep." I murmured.

"Is it really so bad?"

"No, not normally. Though, I do miss dreaming. If I could dream, it would be only of you." I kissed the top of her head.

"I wish I could not dream." Bella mumbled.

"Are they always so bad?" I turned her question around on her.

"No, not always, but when they are, they are terrible."

We sat there for a while in companionable silence. I continued to absently stroke my hand through Bella's hair and Bella continued to watch every one dance with her head on my shoulder. Eventually I heard her breathing even out and knew she'd drifted off into sleep.

Gently picking her up, so as not to wake her, I started off back to the car. Emmett and Jasper caught up quickly and flanked us as I made the way more slowly than I would normally.

Jasper kept up a steady flow of tranquility to help keep Bella asleep and soon enough we were back at the car.

"We'll meet you at the house." Emmett said after I'd put Bella in and closed the door.

"See you there." I said and got behind the wheel.

They would beat us back, which was fine. I'd hardly had any time with Bella today, and she was always so amusing in her sleep.

By the time I pulled up in front of the house, the entire family was back. I could hear them all inside the house mostly in the dining room and something had happened.

Gathering Bella in my arms, I went inside but before I could make it up the stairs, Carlisle stopped me.

"Don't take her upstairs." He said. "Put her in the living room and join us in the dining room."

"What's going on?" I asked quietly.

"We'll discuss it when you join us." He answered and turned away shutting his thoughts off to me.

I put Bella on one of the sofas and covered her with a thick blanket to keep her warm and then joined the family seated around the dining room table.

I was about to sit when I caught a stray thought from Emmett that had me bolting from the room and running upstairs.

Before I'd even reached the top step I could smell the scent of vampire. The scent didn't belong to anyone in my family and I was immediately enraged.

With a trembling hand, I pushed the door to Bella's room open and then stood there holding in my rage. Books and clothes were strewn about the room as if someone had been in a hurry to find something. The room wasn't destroyed, thank God.

"Oh…my…God." I heard breathed softly.

"Bella." I turned around and gathered her into my arms, holding her recklessly close.

"Edward." Carlisle had come up the stairs. "Bella, I'm so sorry you had to see this."

I released her and Carlisle gathered her close in a fatherly embrace.

"If it makes either of you feel better, I've seen worse." She tried to joke, but her voice was wavering too much and her eyes were glassy with tears.

"We'll get it cleaned up for you." He replied.

"That's okay, I'll do it. Besides, I'll know better if anything is missing." She shrugged out of Carlisle's arms and, squaring her shoulders in the doorway, went inside.

"She's not to be left alone," Carlisle said, "but I want you downstairs. Wait for Rosalie to come up and then join us."

I watched Bella from the doorway, to angry to go inside, too afraid she'd see the monster in me and what I wanted to do to the ones who'd done this.

Rosalie put her hand on my shoulder and passed into the room. "What can I do Bella?" She asked kindly.

"Ummmm." Bella paused and took a look around. "You can start hanging the clothes back up in the closet?"

"You got it." Rosalie answered and started to gather the clothes and take them into the room.

I watched for a moment longer and then went back to the dining room.

"How is she?" Esme asked as I took my seat.

"Brave." I answered.

"They were looking for something, you don't go through a room like that unless you are looking for something." Emmett said. "The room was tossed systematically. And I've never caught the scent before. It was someone new."

"I agree. I don't think it was a curious vampire just passing through either." Carlisle stated.

"What is the latest news reporting?" Jasper asked.

"The attacks are moving closer, but they are staying just outside of our boundaries. It's almost as if they know where we've drawn the line and they aren't willing to cross it." Alice answered. "And…" She trailed off and bit her lip.

"And what?" Carlisle asked.

Looking at me with apology written all over her face and begging me not to be mad at her with her mind, Alice answered, "And, we're going to lose her. Soon."

"No. We. Aren't!" I snarled.

"Edward, I'm sorry. I've seen it a hundred times. It seems no matter what we do, we lose her. No matter who we leave with her, no matter if we take her somewhere and try to hide her, she still ends up lost to us. You think I'm not just as angry as you? She's my sister, my best friend! I can't stand that even know what's coming, I can't do anything to stop it." Alice was almost yelling.

I was about to apologize to her when we all heard Bella yell.

We all ran up to her room expecting to find her under attack. Instead, we found Bella crying, huddled in a corner, Rosalie hugging and rocking her trying to calm her.

"What happened?" Emmett demanded.

"I don't know. I was in her closet hanging up the clothes when she dropped something and started crying. Then she started yelling." Rosalie answered.

"Bella, Dear?" Esme said going to her and taking her out of Rose's arms. "Tell me what happened."

Bella continued to stare straight ahead and following her gaze I realized she was staring at her lap top.

Going over to it and picking it up I realized that someone had left a word document open.

Dear Bella,

I realize that by now, you've most likely healed from our last encounter, but don't for a moment think you are safe from me. Your mother thought that sacrificing herself for your worthless life would grant you some sort of immunity from me, however she was very sadly mistaken.

I will be coming for you again very soon. You may not be my daughter by blood, but I did marry your mother and I did take you under my roof, that makes you mine, and I always have what is mine.

You have something that belongs to me, Bella. I'll keep coming back until I find it. I would hate to think of what might happen if I were to catch one of those irritating vampires you've adopted as your family alone in that big house. They aren't any safer from me than you are.

~P~

I hadn't realized I'd started growling until Alice took the laptop out of my hands and read it quickly, passing it to Jasper. The whole family read the message left for Bella.

"I have to leave. I can't stay here. Oh God." She kept repeating burying her head in the crook of Esme's neck.

"You're not going anywhere Bella." Esme said softly but firmly. "He can't do anything to us, he's just trying to scare you to get you on your own. Shhh. Calm down."

"_Edward, meet me downstairs with Emmett and Jasper. The girls should stay up here with Bella." _Carlisle thought.

Alice knew what Carlisle wanted through her gift and Jasper could tell from the mood shifts in the room. Alice whispered to Rosalie and Emmett what needed to happen and then went to Bella and Esme. Emmett followed Jasper and I out of the room and we found Carlisle pacing in the dining room.

"This changes things." He mumbled without breaking his stride or looking at us.

"This changes _everything_." I corrected. "With what Alice told us earlier and that note he left for Bella on her laptop, something is going to happen soon."

"But it wasn't Phil." Emmett interjected. "I know it was signed by him, but I've had his scent before. This one was new. Someone has joined them or is doing their work for them."

"Right now, that doesn't matter." Carlisle said. "Right now what matters is making sure Bella is okay and not letting her out of our sight. We're not leaving the house again until Monday morning when you go to school and then it's straight to school and straight home. No stops in between. Esme will take a hiatus from her project and I will cut my hours back so that we are both home when you get here. If you need to hunt, you go as a group until this is settled. Just because there is probably little to no danger of this vampire being able to do you any harm, doesn't mean you should take the chance. He may have come into his abilities early or he may have help from an older coven."

"Do you think they'd try anything at the school?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know but I'd rather not take the chance." I answered. "If anything happens to her…" I cut off not able to continue with that thought.

I knew exactly what I'd do if I ever lost Bella. I wouldn't walk this earth any longer than necessary without her.

"Not to mention what may happen to the human there if anyone were to be around if they _did_ try anything." Jasper added.

His thoughts turned to his own strength and resolve. Having been living this lifestyle the shortest amount of time, he was worried that he wouldn't have the strength to resist if any human blood were shed. Suddenly I found myself worrying not just about Bella, but also about all of us in the very real possibility of Jasper slipping.

"Let's get back upstairs. I'm sure Bella could use some of your help right now Jasper." Carlisle said knowing exactly where Jasper's thoughts had gone.

By the time we got back to Bella's room, it had been put back to order and the girls were trying to distract Bella from the situation. They were failing miserably.

As soon as we walked in, the conversation stopped and Bella came immediately into my arms, hugging herself to me fiercely.

"Are we staying or running?" Esme asked quietly.

"Staying." Carlisle answered going to her.

Bella sniffled against my chest and a shudder went through her.

"I did a quick check, it seems the only room that they went into was this one." Rosalie offered.

"Why don't I take you down the hall to my room Bella." I offered, whispering in her ear.

She nodded her head against my chest slightly but didn't move.

"I'll bring you some clothes to change into Bella." Alice offered.

'_She's blocking me out again.'_ Jasper let me know.

I had figured she might be. It would seem that sudden extreme emotions made that possible for her.

I nodded my head so he knew that I'd heard him and then looked pointedly at Carlisle. Jasper got the message and gently bent and picked Bella up and went to my room.

"You are going to be okay Bella. I'm not going to let him hurt you." I told her softly. I continued whispering what I could only hope were soothing words to her for some time after I'd entered my room and sat down with her in my lap on my couch. Bella had tucked her head under my chin and I was rubbing circles on her back and running my fingers through her hair.

"Do you want to change into the clothes that Alice brought you?" I asked her.

Bella nodded and grabbed the clothes from the end of the couch and then stopped moving.

"Bella?" I asked.

"I don't want to be alone." She whispered.

"How about if I turn around and you let me know when you are dressed?" I suggested.

She nodded again and I turned around. It hadn't escaped my notice that she was saying very little, almost as little as she did in the beginning. I was worried that we were about to see a relapse.

"Okay." Bella said and I turned around to see her.

Alice and chosen well, a comfortable pair of sweat pants and a long t-shirt. I hoped she'd be able to sleep, at least clothing wouldn't be the reason she stayed awake if she didn't.

I sat back down and Bella crawled back into my lap and we resumed our previous positions.

Carlisle came in a few times to check on Bella, but nothing had changed. Bella had said very little the rest of the night and was resolutely staying awake.

Several hours past sun-rise, I felt the tension slowly start to ease out of Bella. Her breathing calmed and evened out, not deeply as it normally would when she slept, but enough for me to know she had dozed off.

Esme poked her head in to see if Bella wanted breakfast, but I put my finger to my lips before she could say anything.

"How long ago did she fall asleep?" She asked.

"It's only been a few minutes. She's only dozing right now, but I'm hoping if she's not disturbed, she'll fall into a deeper sleep."

"I'll tell the others."

"Thanks." I answered as she pulled the door closed.

Bella slept fairly lightly for the rest of the morning and only stirred around mid-afternoon.

I stayed very still in the hopes that she would go back to sleep, but I should have known that wasn't going to happen.

"Edward?" Bella blinked at me. She seemed slightly confused.

"Yes love?"

"Was it a dream?"

It broke my heart to have to answer that question.

"Bella…" I started slowly.

"I didn't think so." She sighed.

"Would you like to go back to sleep?" I asked.

"No."

"Do you want anything to eat? Esme has left overs from last night for you."

"I'm not very hungry."

"You should still eat Bella."

"I know."

"Come on." I said getting up and starting for the door. "You get dressed and I'll go and let Esme know you're up."

"Edward?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think he was looking for?"

I stopped mid-stride and turned around to look at her. Bella was looking towards the window, out towards the forest, though I highly doubted she seeing it. I walked over to her and drew her into my arms. "I don't know love. We can only guess. Did you bring anything with you from Arizona?"

"No. Just some clothes and a couple of books. I had a couple of things of my mothers. But I don't have any of that here, it all got left behind at…" she refused to say his name.

"You can't think of anything else?" I asked gently.

"No, nothing." She sighed and shook her head. "I think I'm going to skip changing my clothes today. This is comfortable and it feels like I only put it on a couple of hours ago."

"About twelve hours ago actually."

She turned around to look at me wide eyed.

"You slept for a little while." She gave me a scathing look. "I wasn't about to wake you up, you needed the sleep Bella."

Her features softened and a corner of her mouth pulled up into a slight smile.

"Come on, let's see about some food for you." I said taking her hand and leading her out of my room and down the stairs.

"Good afternoon Bella." Esme said when we got to the base of the stairs.

"Hi." She said back quietly.

"Are you hungry?" Esme asked.

"She should eat some of the left overs from last night." I answered before Bella could tell her no.

Esme looked at me questioningly, but didn't say anything as she went into the kitchen and started to fix Bella a plate.

"Hey Bella!" Emmett called from the living room. "Come pick out a movie to watch with us."

"I already picked one!" Alice chirped.

"Yeah, and I picked a different one. Bella can be the tie breaker." He replied.

"Bella," Alice whined. "He wants to watch some stupid movie that's so bad it's not even funny. You should pick my movie."

"Which movie did Emmett pick?" Bella asked.

"One of those stupid Austin Powers movies." She replied, thoroughly disgusted.

"Which one did you pick?" Bella asked Alice.

"I picked this one." She answered holding up a light comedy.

"Sorry Emmett." Bella said. "I'm just not up for bad accents or acting today."

"You always side with her." Emmett whined pointing at Alice. "It doesn't help any that she can see what you'd choose ."

"Everyone has their own gift." Alice teased him.

"Alright, settle down." Esme chuckled coming in with Bella's food. "Where are you sitting dear?"

Bella looked around and then headed over to the loveseat.

We watched the movie pretty much quietly. Emmett, of course, commented on the need for more comedy and raunchier jokes.

As the afternoon wore on into evening, Carlisle came home and he and Esme excused themselves to hunt, Emmett and Rosalie went with them.

"Don't you have some homework to work on?" I reminded Bella.

"I'd forgotten. I'll work on it at the table in the dining room." She said.

Before Bella had gotten all the way up, Alice had gone up and gotten Bella's book bag and brought it back down for her.

"Thanks." Bella smiled slightly taking it and going into the dining room.

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

"I've got it, thanks though." She said and then disappeared around the corner.

"I'm worried about her." Alice said quietly.

"We all are." Jasper said.

"She hardly even ate anything." Alice commented looking at the plate that was still sitting on the coffee table where Bella had put it after eating only a few bites.

The rest of the evening was spent fairly quietly. We took turns checking in on Bella and around midnight, Alice insisted on Bella going to bed.

As we lay there, Bella turned over and looked up at me.

"Will you hum to me?"

"Of course."

As I began to hum the tune that had helped put Bella to sleep in the past, she seemed to be looking all around her room, at all of the dark corners and especially around the window.

"The others came back about twenty minutes ago. Jasper and Emmett are patrolling around the house. No one is getting in tonight Bella." I said softly then went back to humming.

I don't know if it was my words, or the tune, but I soon felt Bella relax and drift off to sleep.

Sunday was uneventful. Alice, Jasper and I went to hunt, though not far, and the others stayed with Bella who had taken up her spot at the table to continue her homework as we left.

"She studies too much." Emmett joked as we were leaving.

"She is trying to keep up with the rest of you. This is her first time through high school Emmet. You've all been through it enough times now to have the text books memorized." Esme laughed.

"We won't be gone long." Alice said and then we left.

BPOV

"Are you really going to spend all day doing homework and studying?" Emmett asked coming into the dining room and plopping down across from me.

"Yep." I answered trying not to look at him. I could see him making faces at me in my peripheral vision.

"Why not just let us do your homework, you'd get done much faster."

"Because then I'd fail the tests."

"We could take those for you too."

I put down my pen and looked up at him.

"And just how would that work, exactly?" I was highly skeptical.

"We'd just breeze through our own copy, then do yours and no one would be the wiser."

"Except me. That's cheating Emmett. Besides, I don't want to be the only person who graduates high school without actually getting the education. How dumb would that be?"

"Bella, I've been through high school a few times. The amount of knowledge you actually gain versus the stuff you use in real life? Very very little."

I quirked a smile at him, I couldn't help it. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass. Besides, it helps me keep my mind off of … other things."

"Emmett!" Rosalie yelled.

"Uh…you didn't see me, okay?"

"What?"

"If Rose comes in here you haven't seen me."

"Why? What did you do?"

"The less you know the better." He answered looking over his shoulder and then heading out the back door.

Not ten seconds later, Rose came in.

"Bella, have you seen Emmett?"

"What did he do Rose?"

"He borrowed my car."

"What's wrong with that?" I asked

"He went off roading in it!"

"But your car…oh." I started finally getting it. "He hasn't been in here." I said while pointing out the back door.

Rosalie caught on fairly quickly and smiled at me. There was a slightly evil glint in her eye and I sincerely hoped Emmett was able to hide from her for a bit. Although, maybe getting found sooner would help more. If Rose was left to sit and stew about something, she usually got even madder.

"Good luck Emmett." I said under my breath going back to my homework.

After lunch, I decided to watch some TV. I don't know how long I sat there but at some point I must have drifted off to sleep.

I knew the minute I started dreaming. I wasn't at home anymore and I was running. My side hurt where a stitch had started and my legs hurt.

"You won't be getting away from me by running Bella." A voice called in the darkness.

I was running through a forest, pushing branches and tall plants out of my way. I tripped often over roots and rocks scraping my hands and knees.

I had to slow down, be more careful. I was leaving a trail for him to follow. But I couldn't slow down. I as too slow already and he was gaining on me. If I slowed down anymore, he'd catch me.

"Bella, where do you think you can run to that I won't find you?" He called again, even closer this time.

I wasn't going to answer his taunts, that would just be one more way for him to track me. I knew he was toying with me, allowing me to run, he wanted this, to track me down, hunt me as prey. I suppose that that is exactly what I was. He wasn't like the Cullens. His eyes were red, not golden, he hunted humans. And I was currently the human he'd decided on.

Why me though? Was it because of Phil? Was it because the Cullens tried to protect me? Was it some horrid reason he came up with on his own?

As if he could hear my thoughts he answered my question for me.

"Poor Bella. If your scent weren't enough, the moment that boy decided to challenge me for you, you were dead. Your step-father, well, he wants you for his own reasons, but that doesn't mean I have to give him to you. This is my coven after all, not his. I had toyed with the idea of keeping you around for a while, but I think I'd much rather just…" he jumped out of a tree and landed right in front of me, "drain you where you stand and leave you for the Cullens to find."

I screamed and tried to stop, but my momentum kept me going forward even as I threw myself backwards, as a result, I ended up on my back looking up at him.

"Wouldn't that be fun?" he asked. "I'll leave your drained corpse on their front door and torn with grief and anger they'll try to hunt me down. I'll beat them, of course, and one, by one, they'll all cease to exist."

"Please, just leave them alone." I begged.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." He tsked me.

"Bella!" I heard my name being called.

"Ah, there they are already." He said as he knelt next to me.

"Bella!" I heard again, closer and closed my eyes as he leaned down.

"Bella, Bella come on!" He wasn't picking me up, he was shaking me.

"Bella, open your eyes!"

I tried, that was Carlisle's voice, but my eyes were too heavy.

"Come on Bella, listen to my voice, you know it's Carlisle. Open your eyes."

I felt something cold run down my face. It felt really good.

"That's it, come on, open up for me." Carlisle said.

Finally, I was able to open my eyes a little.

"Good girl, Bella. Here." He held my head and tipped a glass of water up for me to sip.

"You had me worried for a moment there. I heard you scream and when I came down, I couldn't wake you up."

"Sorry." I said, my throat scratchy from sleep.

Carlisle helped me sit up and then held me for a few moments when I couldn't stop shaking.

"Want to tell me about it?" He asked.

"I don't really know."I answered truthfully. "I was being chased, through the forest, and he was toying with me, drawing it out because he likes the tracking and the hunting." I started, and then I told him all that I could remember of the dream.

"Bella, I don't want you to panic, but I think, somehow, you let your guard down and James was able to get into your dream." Carlisle said slowly, as if he were thinking out loud.

Just then, the door banged open and Edward, Jasper and Alice were there, standing around me. I immediately began to feel calmer as Jasper used his gift to assess the feelings coming off of me.

"Thanks." I smiled at him.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked. "Alice saw you running through the forest and being chased. Why would you be in the forest Bella?"

"I wasn't. I mean, I was but…" I tried to explain, but I was getting tongue tied.

"It was a dream Edward." Carlisle stepped in for me. He told them exactly what I'd told him and his theory.

"Must have been some dream." Alice said. "If it could manifest itself into a vision for me to see, unless…" she stopped and Edward started to growl.

"Edward?" I asked, putting my hand out and into his.

He immediately calmed and sat beside me, pulling me into his arms.


End file.
